Posted on: September 16, 2025
Ingredients:
Apple filling:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 medium apples peeling and diced into about ½ in. pieces – firm apples work best
- ½ cup light brown soft sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
Shortbread:
- 13 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups gluten free flour blend (I used King Arthur’s 1 to 1 blend)
- ½ tsp salt
Also:
- ⅔ cup ground walnuts
Instructions:
For the apple filling:
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the diced apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and stir to combine. Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium-high heat with occasional stirring, until the apples are softened and the juices have thickened into a thick, syrupy consistency. Cool completely.
For the shortbread dough:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the softened butter, brown sugar and vanilla together until combined. Add the flour and salt and mix together. It’s easier to knead it a few times until it holds together.
Combine:
- Press just over half of the shortbread cookie dough into prepared pan in an even layer. It should be about ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle the ground walnuts evenly across the cookie dough crust to the edges.
- Arrange the apple filling in an even layer on top of the ground walnuts. Crumble the remaining shortbread cookie dough over the apples.
- Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 40-45 minutes or until the crumb topping is evenly golden brown. Cool completely before removing from pan and cutting.
