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Rich Decadent Butternut Squash Apple Bars a buttery yet healthy comfort food dessert. #fallfoods #fallrecipes #dessertrecipes #thanksgivingrecipes

Rich Decadent Butternut Squash Apple Bars

I love squash recipes in the fall! They are distinctively a fall flavor that I crave in the season of fall. I wanted to create a dessert recipe using squash. So many dessert recipes are made with pumpkin, but I rarely see one made with squash. Pumpkin and squash are from the same family, so I thought why not have a dessert made with squash instead of pumpkin? My recipe for Rich Decadent Butternut Squash Apple Bars is so good! It is perfect for fall and Thanksgiving. I'm so excited to share this recipe with you! It is low in sugar, but heavy on the butter so I included rich and decadent in the recipe name. This recipe makes the house smell so awesome! I love how it's kind of healthy, but with loads of butter so it's comfort food healthy.
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Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 apple pie filling can 20 or 21 oz. can
  • 2 1/2 cups Butternut squash cooked and scooped from the rind
  • 1 3/8 cup butter divided into 1 cup melted for bars and for topping 6 Tbsp. melted. 6 Tbsp.=3/8 cup
  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon divided: 1 tsp. for bars, 1/4 tsp. for topping
  • 5 Tablespoons brown sugar divided, packed, 1/4 c. (or 4 Tbsp.) for bars, 1 Tbsp. for topping
  • 2 cups crushed graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup dried apples for topping, break into pieces
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries for topping
  • 1/4 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
  • 3/4 cup oats

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Combine 2 1/2 c. cooked butternut squash, 1 c. melted butter, and 1/4 c. skim milk in a bowl and blend with a hand blender until smooth (like 1-2 minutes or so).
  • Add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 c. packed brown sugar, and can of apple pie filling to the squash mixture. Blend again with a hand blender until mostly smooth, some apple chunks remaining is fine.
  • Add 2 c. crushed graham crackers to the mixture and stir by hand until moistened and fully mixed.
  • Spray a 9x13 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and flatten batter using the back of a large spoon.
  • Bake at 400 degress for about 55 minutes.
  • Prepare the topping for the bars after putting the bars in the oven by combining 1/4 c. pieces of dried apple, 1/4 c. dried cranberries, 1/4 c. crushed nuts,1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 3/4 c. oats, and 6 Tbsp. melted butter. Stir and let mixture sit to soak up butter while bars are baking.
  • Remove bars from the the oven after 55 (to 60) minutes. Spread prepared topping mixture over bars. Bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to remove the pan from the oven before the dried fruit topping starts to burn.

Notes

Remember to watch towards the end of the time the topping is on to prevent the dried fruit from burning.
Enjoy this yummy dessert with tea, coffee, or milk. I hope you love this buttery comfort food dessert perfect for fall and Thanksgiving.
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Rich Decadent Butternut Squash Apple Bars. A delicious comfort food fall dessert. Thanksgiving recipe. #fallfood #fallrecipes #thanksgiving #thanksgivingrecipes #squashrecipes #applerecipes #comfortfood #comfortfoodrecipes #recipesforfall #easyrecipe #decadentdesserts #butternutsquash #desserts #dessertrecipes #bars #barrecipes #autumnrecipes #yummydesserts #DessertsWithBenefits #foodlover
Rich Decadent Butternut Squash Apple Bars. A delicious comfort food fall dessert. Thanksgiving recipe. Pin me:)
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