Hospitality Highlight: Talitha Seymour

Sharing treats opens doors with co-workers

Talitha Seymour welcomed me into her home to try her scrumptious Salted Caramel Apple Bars. She and her husband, Justin, have been part of Faith Bible Church about four years, and they have a two-year-old son, Weston.

Talitha’s desire to be hospitable to the people God has sovereignly placed in her life extends beyond her home into her workplace. The simple gesture of bringing baked goods into work on a regular basis is a meaningful way for her to share the love of Christ with others and open up new opportunities to connect with her coworkers. “I get to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise meet, and it’s just a little way to bless others.”

This recipe is inspired by Talitha’s love for baking pies and desire to create desserts that are easy to transport and share with others. She selected this recipe to share because of the overwhelming amount of positive feedback it has generated from her friends and co-workers. A spiced apple pie filling sits on top of a buttery, flaky shortbread crust. The filling is then coated with a crunchy, sweet cinnamon streusel and topped with a gooey salted caramel glaze. If you are looking for a delicious treat to bring to work for your holiday potluck, this should be it!

Listen to my conversation with Talitha on the Faith Matters podcast on December 18! 

Salted Caramel Apple Bars

From the kitchen of Talitha Seymour.* 

Makes 12 bars.

Ingredients

Crust

• 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Filling

• 2 large apples, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white sugar, to taste
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cold and cubed

Caramel

• 1 cup white sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temp
• 1⁄2 cup heavy cream, room temp
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Make the crust: Stir melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add flour and mix. Press the mixture evenly into a 8x8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees.
2. Make the apple filling: While crust is baking, stir sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.
3. Make the streusel: Stir oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together, then cut in the chilled butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. I mix it with my hands, putting them under cold running water first so they don’t melt the butter.
4. Assemble: Turn the oven up to 350 degrees. Layer the apples on top of the warm pre-baked crust and press them in a little. Sprinkle streusel on top of the apples and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
5. Allow bars to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate them at least 2 hours before drizzling the caramel on top. Don’t use the freezer, as this can make the bars soggy.
6. Make the caramel: Melt the sugar in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. When it becomes an amber-colored liquid, stir in the butter (watch out, it will bubble up for a second) until combined. Then slowly pour in the heavy cream. Once it’s all added, stop stirring and let it boil for 60 seconds. Then remove from the heat and stir in the salt. It will be very thin, so let it cool on the counter for a couple hours to thicken before drizzling over the bars.

Enjoy!

Jennifer Brandt

Jennifer is the Hospitality Highlight editor for Living Faith magazine. She and her husband Cory have been married since 2018 and serve together in Youth Ministry.

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