Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
A reader’s favorite recipe for moist and tender, warmly spiced applesauce bars! Keep them light with a dusting of powdered sugar, or slather them in cream cheese frosting. The old fashioned bars make a perfect dessert or a cozy snack!
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more easy desserts, try these one-bowl homemade brownies, this easy apple strudel recipe, a pan of carrot oatmeal bars with cream cheese glaze, and an easy zucchini cake, too!
Thanks to a loyal blog reader named Larry, who sent me this vintage recipe. The applesauce bars originally came from his son’s third grade class cookbook over 50 years ago, and he recently dug the recipe out of storage in order to share it with all of us! I’ve tweaked the instructions slightly to add some warm spices and a delicious cream cheese frosting, but the basics remain the same. Why mess with a tried-and-true favorite?
Why You’ll Love these Old Fashioned Applesauce Bars
- Easy. For a made-from-scratch dessert, these bars are about as easy as it gets! You don’t need any special culinary skills — just mix and bake!
- Light. Larry’s original recipe calls for a simple dusting of powdered sugar (no frosting). The bars aren’t overly sweet, and the applesauce replaces additional oil or shortening that you would otherwise need to keep the bars moist. As a result, they’re a lighter, healthier dessert than most — just omit that frosting!
- Cozy. Thanks to the warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, these bars have great flavor and pair nicely with a hot cup of tea on a chilly evening. They would even be a lovely addition to a holiday table on Thanksgiving.
Ingredients
This is just an overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make a pan of easy applesauce bars from scratch. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- All-purpose flour: the base of the bars.
- Baking powder and baking soda: leavening agents that help the bars rise.
- Ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg: all of the warm spices that give the bars that classic cozy flavor. Feel free to add some ground cloves or ground cardamom if you like them even spicier!
- Salt: enhances the other flavors in the dish and balances the sweetness in the batter.
- Sugar: for just the right amount of sweetness. Brown sugar would probably work really well, too.
- Shortening: keeps the bars moist and fluffy. I use Crisco vegetable shortening.
- Eggs: give the bars structure.
- Applesauce: use homemade applesauce if you have it, or purchase an unsweetened (or sweetened) variety at the grocery store. Whatever you like best is fine! The applesauce adds moisture to the bars, as well as subtle sweetness and flavor.
- Vanilla extract: for extra warmth and flavor.
- Optional mix-ins: raisins, dried cranberries, and/or chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts.
- Optional toppings: homemade easy cream cheese frosting, store-bought cream cheese frosting or vanilla frosting, or powdered sugar for dusting.
Why Use Shortening in Applesauce Bars?
The high fat content in shortening yields incredibly moist baked goods, while also creating a softer, fluffier texture than you would otherwise achieve with butter or oil.
That said, if you don’t want to bake with shortening, you can substitute with an equal amount of softened unsalted butter. The taste and texture of the bars will just be slightly different.
Pan Size
These old fashioned applesauce bars bake in a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan. It’s the same pan that we use for classic Texas sheet cake, white Texas sheet cake, and pumpkin bars. Honestly, these “bars” taste a lot like a spice sheet cake! If you prefer to use a different size pan (such as a larger rimmed sheet pan or a smaller 9×13 pan), see my notes below.
How to Make Applesauce Bars
These applesauce dessert bars come together quickly and easily with just a handful of pantry staples. Don’t forget to make them in advance, though — they need plenty of time to cool before you can spread that cream cheese icing on top!
You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Cream together the wet ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix just until combined.
- Spread the batter in a greased jelly roll pan.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool.
- Dust with powdered sugar or top with cream cheese frosting.
- Slice into squares and serve.
Serving Suggestions
The applesauce bars are delicious at room temperature, or even straight out of the refrigerator! They’re perfect on their own with a cup of coffee or tea, a mug of cocoa, or even some warm mulled cider — but they’re even more decadent when paired with a scoop of ice cream. Try serving the bars with vanilla ice cream, cinnamon ice cream, or butter pecan ice cream for a real treat!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Make the bars 1 day ahead of when you plan to serve them. This gives you plenty of time to let the bars cool, and to frost them if you like.
- Storage: If they’re frosted with cream cheese icing, keep the bars covered in the refrigerator. Bring them to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving for the best taste and texture. If you’re in a real rush, you can eat them straight from the fridge! The bars are best when enjoyed within 1-2 days of baking, but you can safely store the leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- How to Freeze: Sealed in an airtight container, applesauce bars will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations
- 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 instead, 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!
- Optional mix-ins: add a cup of chopped walnuts or pecans directly to the batter. Alternatively, garnish the top of the frosted bars with toasted, chopped nuts. You can also stir in a cup or so of raisins or dried cranberries.
- Swap out the individual spices and just use 2 teaspoons of apple pie spice.
Tips for the Best Applesauce Bars Recipe
- 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).
- Do not overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients.
- Tap the pan gently on the counter a couple of times before baking to release any big air bubbles.
- Let the bars cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar or frosting. Otherwise, the heat of the bars will just melt the sugar or frosting.
More Recipes with Applesauce
Old Fashioned Applesauce Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
- 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.
Applesauce bar was delightful. I did add walnuts and raisins (I need the extra iron). I am not a lover of cream cheese frosting so I spread applesauce over the top. It disappeared so fast at the potluck I didn’t get any but the crumbs in the pan. SOOOOO two pans are in the oven right now so one can get cut up and put in the freezer for later. Its hard to find good recies for jelly roll pan size desserts so thank you. The oven buzzer went off so I got to run.
We’re so happy to hear it was such a hit! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave a review. We hope you enjoy the next batch!