Old Fashioned Applesauce Bars

5 from 1 vote

These easy applesauce bars are moist, tender, and warmly spiced!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword applesauce bars, easy applesauce bars, old fashioned applesauce bars

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings bars

Calories 119kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup shortening (such as Crisco), at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup applesauce (I use unsweetened)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional mix-ins: 1 cup raisins or chopped nuts (or ½ cup of each)
Optional, for topping: homemade cream cheese frosting, store-bought cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting, or powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease, spray with cooking spray, or line a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper (see the notes below for a different size pan). Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the sugar and shortening until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs; beat to thoroughly combine. Add the applesauce and vanilla extract; mix until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the applesauce mixture; mix just until combined.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Tap the pan gently on the counter a couple of times to release any large pockets of air.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
Once cool, dust with powdered sugar or spread with cream cheese frosting and dust with cinnamon, if desired.
Cut into squares and serve.

Applesauce Bars in 9×13 Pan: instead of a 15×10-inch jelly roll pan, you can bake the bars in a smaller 9 x 13-inch baking dish. They will be slightly thicker, so they may require a couple of extra minutes in the oven.
Larry's original recipe calls for a dusting of powdered sugar on top of the cooled bars. I love adding either homemade cream cheese frosting and a dusting of cinnamon, or you can take the even easier route and purchase a can of store-bought cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting. Even just a dollop of whipped cream is great. Anything goes, and it will all taste good!
The high fat content in shortening yields incredibly moist bars with a softer, fluffier texture. That said, you can substitute with an equal amount of softened unsalted butter if you prefer (the taste and texture of the bars will just be slightly different).
Swap out the individual spices and just use 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice.