Chunks of sweet honey crisp apples surrounded by cinnamon sugar cookie dough topped with whipped cinnamon buttercream make these Chunky Apple Sugar Cookie Sheet Cake Bars a must-bake dessert for your family!
My daughter has been eating apples a lot lately… almost one everyday. She slices them, puts them in a bowl with a spoonful of peanut butter or sometimes with a couple slices of cheese. Emily loves apples.
Her love of this crispy fruit got me to thinking about baking with them. How could I incorporate the crunch and sweet flavor of a Honey Crisp apple into a dessert?? Hmm… a cupcake? Naw. I’ve done that before. Pie? Yup, done that too.
Cookies? YES! Winner! I haven’t made an apple cookie yet!
But wait… how about a cookie cake?
EVEN BETTER!
This chunky apple sugar cookie sheet cake bars, have a sugar cookie flavor with a cake-like texture but are loaded with chucks of sweet and crisp apples and tons of delicious cinnamon flavor. I’ve topped them with a thin layer of whipped cinnamon frosting.
They get their name from the way they are baked… in a sheet cake pan and from their texture. These bars definitely have the sugar cookie texture and flavor, yet they are thicker and have a crumb like a cake.
It’s a cookie. It’s a cake. It’s a bar. It’s a Cookie Sheet Cake Bar!
This would make a great treat for a pot-luck or party. It can be sliced in any size and would be delicious with a scoop of vanilla or caramel ice cream on the side! Ooohh! Why didn’t I think of that before I took the pictures and ate 3 pieces? ha ha ha
Yum. Seriously. These sugar cookie sheet cake bars are like a slice of apple pie, but better. You need to try them!!!
Enjoy!
Chunky Apple Sugar Cookie Sheet Cake Bars
Ingredients
Bars
- 2 1/2 cups Honey Crisp apples, peeled and diced (about 1 1/2 large apples)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1lb powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Spray with Pillsbury Baking Spray with flour a jelly roll pan or large, tall sided cookie sheet. Line with parchment paper and spray again.
- Prepare the apples by peeling, coring and dicing them into 1/4-1/2" chunks.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- While the butter and sugar are creaming, in another large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Add the eggs to the butter/sugar one at a time mixing well after each. Scrape the sides of the bowl several times to make sure all the egg has been incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla.
- Slowly add the flour to the creamed mixture and mix on high until just combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything has been incorporated.
- Add the apples and mix until they have been evenly distributed through the batter. N
- NOTE: The batter will be thick. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
- Bake 18-25 minutes or until the edges have browned and a toothpick comes out without any wet batter. You should see a few cookie crumbs stuck to the toothpick.
- Cool cookie bars in the pan on a wire rack until they are completely cool.
- Using the parchment paper, carefully lift the cookie out and place on a cutting board.
Frosting
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, cream the butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and mix on high until incorporated.
- Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon and the salt.
- Add the heavy cream and mix on high for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
Assembly & Storage
- Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of frosting over the top of the cooled sheet of cookie.
- Cut into squares.
- Sprinkle each square with a dusting of ground cinnamon.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
Original recipe from The Seaside Baker