Apple Crumb Squares

Apple Crumb Squares
This was very easy to make even though there were a lot of steps.
What i love most, is that i almost always have all of these ingredients on hand, so i can
throw one together whenever i need to:o) Oh, maybe thats not a good thing...well,
at least not for my waistline:o/ ;o)


Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon almond extract (you can use vanilla is you don't have almond)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 apples (granny smith are good but i used Fuji, my faves), peeled, cored, halved, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apricot preserves, melted

Crumb Topping
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
2 tablespoons powdered sugar (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 15x10x1 inch pan with spray oil (my son was using my pan this size for an indoor sandbox:o/ so i had to use a 13x9 which worked fine).
Cake: Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, about 2 min.
Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each.
Beat in almond extract.
On low speed, beat in salt and flour until just blended.
Spread evenly in pan.

Fan apples over the top...

then pour/brush with melted preserves.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Crumb Topping: Blend together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.
Stir in the butter until mixture is moistened and clumps together.
Sprinkle evenly over cake.

Bake for an additional 35 minutes.
Remove pan to wire rack; cool completely.

It was all bubbly around the edges and smelled SO good! It was hard not to just tear in to it, but its for Church tomorrow, so i must wait...