Apple cinnamon bars

What is fall without cinnamon, apples, colors and smells?

Now in sunny California, I still like to recreate the fall. Southern California does not have a 'fall'. It has the sun, the coast, the beaches, the bikinis and the runners. It has the Rockies and the deserts and the canyons. But it does not have a sense of the fall :) When crisp breeze, morning chill, falling leaves and changing colors herald the warm pretty sweaters. And coffee tastes extra good and you yarn for coco every evening and the quilt becomes the new definition of cozy.

And it ain't fall...if you ain't smelling the cinnamon, and you ain't waiting for Halloween and you ain't looking at the fireplace and yearning for colder weather. Of course it is a different matter that once winter sets in, you would not believe that at some insane moment when everything was perfect and pretty, you did in fact yarn for the cold to set in. And when you blame your insanity for seeking the cold, think of these apple cinnamon bars that made you forget the future and the cold and let you only think of how perfect fall was and how nothing you could desire on this day would have any consequences other than perfect :) :)

Apple cinnamon bars that makes fall happen and last whenever and wherever

Courtesy Paula Deen's recipe :)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• Pinch salt
• 1.5 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 3 medium apples cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsf fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 package unflavored gelatin
• 1/2 tbsf cold apple juice. Or you can use any juice you have on hand. Works just as fine. Water will do good too

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Lightly grease a 9 by 9 inch pan.
Make the crust by combining flour, confectioners' sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in 2 sticks of butter to make a crumbly mixture.
(Add water 2 tbsf at a time if the dough is too dry)
Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
(You may need to dip your fingers into a little flour or confectioners' sugar to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers).
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large skillet, melt the remaining stick of butter over medium heat.
Add the apples, and cook for 3 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and lemon juice; cook for 3 minutes.
In a small bowl, soften the gelatin in cold apple juice, then add it to apples, and cook for 15 minutes. Spoon the mixture evenly over the prepared crust and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool, then cut into squares.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and preserve fall forever :)

Happy eating and bit of indulgence ain't that bad :)