This week's recipe was chosen by Karen of Something Sweet by Karen. I honestly wasn't too excited about this one, but (at the last possible minute) went ahead with it anyway. I'm really glad I did, because it was a really nice surprise!I expected it to be like a blondie, but it was really more of a very thin cake flavored with cinnamon and all spice, and flecked with tender apple bits and pecans. The topping is called a glaze, but mine became more of a caramel (which I'm totally okay with).
I used palm sugar in place of all of the sugar, and agave in place of the corn syrup in the topping. Palm sugar has a very low glycemic index, so it is a great substitute for cane sugar, and is something I feel okay about my son eating. It is also a lot easier to put in a recipe than agave which requires all kinds of tinkering since it is a liquid. It was so delicious in the topping, I'm going to try making caramels with the combo I used. I think they'll work beautifully. I should also mention: I halved the recipe and baked it in an 8x8 square pan and I omitted the raisins.
Thanks to Karen for hosting this week. The recipe for the bars can be found on her blog. Be sure to take a look at the TWD blogroll for more applesauce spice bars.
On another note, fellow SMS baker Katie of Katiecakes is holding a giveaway for a beautiful cookbook. Head on over to her blog to enter!
I love it when a recipe ends up exceeding expectations! Good job tailoring this one to your requirements. My glaze was a delicious caramel also - loved it nice and thick.
ReplyDeleteYour bars (cake) look very good! That's great that you can make sweet treats healthier by using the palm sugar!!
ReplyDeletePeace, Stephanie
Those look really tasty. I am glad you weren't disappointed in them.
ReplyDeleteNice tip on the palm sugar - I wasn't aware of it being lower on the glycemic index - thanks! I'm definitely a fan of agave, though I didn't think about substituting it in this one. Will have to remember for next time.
ReplyDeleteThese look very tasty, indeed. I almost gave up on them, too; I couldn't get motivated for a fall-ish dessert. I agree with you, they're worth it. Your bars look beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThese bars were a nice surprise (I was officially sold when I smelled them baking) and yours look great! I'm sure your son son was happy he could eat them.
ReplyDeletei'm glad they turned out better than you expected. they look wonderful. :) i'll have to look into the palm sugar. i'm trying to look for ways to cut back a little bit.
ReplyDeletei love palm sugar! and i love these bars - they are so perfect for fall :)
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious, especially the top! I didn't' get to try the glaze but I will definitely try it next time around.
ReplyDeleteYour bars look so delicious!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them. Your bars look great!
ReplyDeleteSarah, you are the BEST! Thank you so much for letting me know about the recipe rotation and posting about it on the page!!!! Thanks for having my back! haha! The bars look AWESOME... and if you ever come back to NY, even just to visit, we need to get together and have dinner or something - talk about food and blogging!
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