Apple Bars---Lorraine Ahlden Recipe aka My Grams

Swallow your pride occasionally, it's non-fattening!  ~Author Unknown

My Ahlden Family Cookbook dessert is currently in the oven.  It is quite probable that this will be the first desert that comes out un-edible.  Every crevice of my mother’s kitchen is covered in flour and something sticky is splattered on the front of my hoodie.  I am not sure where my Apple Bars began going disastrous, but I know exactly why; I made them without Gram’s assistance.

Yesterday was Grandma Ahlden’s 82^nd birthday, so I wanted to do a special baking project with her this weekend.  When I got to Danforth last night, I checked with my mom to find out if Grandma had any plans for today.  As far as mom knew, Grandma was going to be home all day.  Perfect! I had a fun baking day planned to celebrate Gram’s b-day!  I called Gram’s house around ll:00 a.m. to invite her to lunch and an afternoon of desserts.  No one answered.  I figured she was outside checking her flowers or folding laundry.  I decided to start peeling and slicing apples and call her again in five minutes.  One apple done (out of 10) and five minutes later I tried calling Grams.  Still no answer.  I continued this pattern for about the next hour until all of the apples were peeled.  That was the boring part anyways, so I figured she wouldn’t mind missing it.  I stuck the apples in the fridge and ran down to her house to see why she didn’t answer the phone.  Grams wasn’t at home.  Apparently, someone had taken her out today.  Well I figured I would just do some homework until Gram’s got back. 

Well by 2:00 the apples in the fridge were starting to brown, and I didn’t think that was a good thing.  Grams still wasn’t home, so I had no choice but to make them solo.  This is when the madness began.  I think you need to see the recipe now to fully understand the Apple Bar catastrophe. 

Apple Bars—Lorraine Ahlden

Large bowl of sliced apples                      sugar as needed

Cinnamon                                                      1 T. of water

1 T. of flour       

Mix in Apples

For the Crust: 

1 egg yolk beaten                                         ½ cup milk

2/3 cup shortening                                     salt

2 cups of flour

Mix together and roll out to fit your pan.  I double this recipe for a 13 X 18 pan.  Bake at 350.  Turn the temperature down after they start to brown.  When cool, frost them with thin white icing.

Note from Lorraine Ahlden: We make them for family gatherings.

Just to remind you, I am home alone with no one to consult with on baking questions.  My thoughts are as follows:

     How many apples do you need to slice for a “large bowl”?  And how big is a “large bowl” anyways?

     Sugar as needed---how do I know what is needed?  Is this supposed to be by taste?  How sugary should they be?

     Cinnamon.  Of course, no measurement specified!

     Is there just a bottom crust or a bottom and top?  Something tells me there is a top crust, but it says nothing of it in this recipe.  Hmmm?

     Salt.  Again no measurement specified.  Dash I guess.

     Nowhere does it say what size pan to use.  Only to double it for a 13 X 18.  That doesn’t really help me.  Should I use a 9 X13 or Jelly Roll?

     How long should these bake?

     When they begin to brown, what should I turn the temp down to?

     Apparently there is no icing recipe included.  Just the instructions to frost them.

     This is a disaster!

Well, I love my Grams to death, but clearly direction writing is not one of her strong points.  I guess when you have baked as much as Grams has, you know the answer to most of these questions.  Obviously, 22 yr. old me, needs more detailed instructions.  Some of the highlights of my Apple Bar baking were when I tried to mix the dough with an electric mixer and ended up with the entire ball of dough tangled around the beaters.  Seeing me attempting to roll out this sticky mess with a stone rolling pin would make anyone laugh on their saddest day.  I’ve made it through all of the recipes without any bodily injuries, until I sliced my finger on my first apple.  I had a mind block about which was the yolk and which was the albumen and ended up wasting three eggs in the process.  About five minutes into the baking, I decided to take out the pan and add a top crust because for some reason I have convinced myself that here is a top crust on these Apple Bars.  Last but not least, halfway through writing this blog, I went to check the bars and realized that I never even turned the oven on.  I’m sure you are all dying to try a big ole’ piece of Apple Bar!

Apparently my lesson for today was one of humility.  Most of my blogs have focused around my helping Grams fumble her way around baking.  I thought since I am usually the one taking the control in our baking projects, I would be okay to go solo.  Clearly, I still need the assistance of my Grams.  This is a fact that I should just get used to.  I don’t think I will ever outgrow the help of my mom, dad, or Grams.  Even in this past week, I found myself on the phone with my dad, needing his encouragement to make it through a bad day.  First job, first home, wedding planning, loss of a loved one, everything about pregnancy and first baby; all of these things and many others will require a call home for help.  I’m not perfect--Far from it.  I bite my nails terribly and I hold grudges way too long.  I guess being perfect isn’t the point.  It’s admitting that you aren’t and having people in your life that can fill in those areas that you aren’t so blessed in.  Grams fills in those spots where I lack baking knowledge….and I can humbly admit it.

This is the cook.com recipe I used for the icing.

NEVER FAIL CARAMEL ICING 

5 tbsp. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk

Cook 3 minutes. Let cool and add:

1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. powdered sugar

Beat until right consistency and spread.