TWD - Crumb-Topped Apple Bars

When I was in Grade 5 at school, we started doing lecturettes for assessment in class.  Sometimes, our teacher (whose name really was Wally) would select a theme and hand us each a random topic in keeping with that theme.  For example, when the theme was famous people in history, I drew Houdini and inexplicably swapped him with a classmate for the far less exotic George Stephenson.  Other times, we could choose our own topic.  I was most impressed by a lecturette given by a boy named David, who chose to deliver a lecturette on the Australian apple industry.  He stood there calmly peeling an apple the whole time, and managed to peel it without breaking the chain.  Some might find that distracting, but I thought it was the cleverest device ever, and I wanted to emulate it (but never did get the chance).

David's lecturette on apples came to mind while I was peeling apples for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe, Crumb-Topped Apple Bars (or in the Australian vernacular, apple crumble slice).

This slice comprised a biscuit base, made easily in the food processor, topped with chopped Granny Smith apples, sultanas and chopped walnuts.  The sultanas and nuts were optional, but being a streudel loving girl, there is no way that I was going to leave them out.  The bars are then topped with a shortbread crumb made from the same dough as the base, and baked until golden brown. 

These bars are not 15 minute wonders - the baking time alone was over an hour.  However, the end result is well worth it for these buttery, fruity, scrumptious bars.  For me, we were back onto a winner this week.

To see what the other Dorie bakers made and what they thought of it, visit the LYL section of the TWD website.