| 1 | cup packed brown sugar |
| 1/2 | cup butter or margarine, softened |
| 1/4 | cup shortening |
| 1 3/4 | cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour |
| 1 1/2 | cups quick-cooking oats |
| 1 | teaspoon salt |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 4 1/2 | cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium) |
| 3 | tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour |
| 1 | bag (14 ounces) caramels |
| 1. | Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
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| 2. | Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly. |
| 3. | Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator. |
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| Rolled oats are whole oats that have been steamed and flattened. Quick-cooking oats differ from regular—or old-fashioned—oats in that they’re cut into pieces before being steamed and are rolled into thinner flakes. |
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| Make a date with Date Bars: Heat 1 pound cut-up dates (3 cups), 1 1/2 cups water and 1/4 cup sugar over low heat about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened; cool. Use date mixture instead of the apples, 3 tablespoons flour and caramels. |
Nutrition Information:
145 ( 45 ); 5 g ( 3 g); 10 mg; 130 mg; 24 g ( 1 g); 2 g 2 %; 0%; 2 %; 2 % 1/2 ; 1 ; 1