¼cupplus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
¼cupunsalted butter, well softened
¼cupcream cheese, well softened
¼teaspoonsalt
¼tsp.pure almond extract
⅔cupslivered almonds, coarsely chopped plus a few more as needed
Filling
4oz.cream cheese, softened
½cupgranulated sugar
1largeegg, room temperature
2tsp.freshly grated lemon zest
1Tbs.fresh lemon juice
1Pinchsalt
1lb.Braeburn, Gala, or Rome apples, peeled, cored and cut into ⅛-inch-thick slices (to yield 2-½ cups)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper or non-stick foil.
First, reserve 2 tablespoons of the flour and 2 tablespoons of each of the sugar and set aside to be used in the topping.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, cream cheese and almond extract with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add the ¼ cup each of the granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium speed until blended, scraping as needed. Add the 1 ¼ cups flour, the salt, plus ⅓ cup of the almonds and beat on medium low just until the flour is absorbed and the mixture starts to come together in clumps.
Set aside about ⅔ cup of the mixture to be used for topping, then press the remaining into the prepared pan in a thin but even layer. Prick it all over with a fork. Bake until the crust is golden, especially around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on.
While the crust bakes, add the 2 Tbs. reserved flour and 2 tablespoons each of the granulated and brown sugars to the reserved dough. Mix with your fingertips until well combined and then squeeze the dough together into one clump (you'll be breaking it into clumps again for the topping).
Make the cream cheese filling.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the egg and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Spread the apple slices evenly on the bottom crust and pour the cream cheese filling on top, gently spreading it with a rubber spatula to cover the apples.
Crumble the remaining dough on top. The pieces can be fairly large, about the size of a cherry, and the topping needn't completely cover the filling. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds plus any additional to make it look good.
Bake until the topping and almonds are light golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the bars cool in the pan until warm, about 30 minutes. Remove from the pan using the parchment or foil sling and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Transfer the bars, still on the parchment, to a cutting board. Slide a long metal spatula between the bars and parchment to separate them, and then slide the parchment out.