Apple pie bars are just as delicious as apple pie, but much easier to make. They are made with a shortbread crust, spiced apple filling, streusel topping, and homemade salted caramel. You’ll love this fun twist on a classic dessert!.
Without a doubt, apple pie is my favorite dessert. I adore the flavor combination of the buttery, flaky pie crust with the sweet and sour spiced apples. It’s cozy, comforting, and simply irresistible. I know the recipe by heart and prepare it all year long, not just for Thanksgiving. My salted caramel apple pie recipe, which I first shared on my website, is the basis for today’s recipe. Although I enjoy making pies, there are times when we don’t have enough time to prepare a meal, which is when apple pie BARS come in. No traditional pie crust, but same delicious flavors.
Here is 5 recipe(s):
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Baking apple pie as bars is so much easier!
Prep: 25min
Total: 3h20min
Yield: 12
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)*
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (40g) old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce
Instruction:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Put parchment paper on the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. (You can prepare the filling and streusel while the crust bakes. ).
- In a sizable bowl, combine the sliced apples with the flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the apples are all uniformly coated. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cinnamon, brown sugar, and flour. Using a pastry blender, two forks, or even your hands, blend in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. Apple slices should be tightly layered and pressed down to fit so that it doesn’t appear that there are too many. Streusel should be evenly distributed over the apple layer and baked for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature before chilling for at least two hours (or overnight) in the refrigerator. Using the overhang on the sides of the pan, lift the foil or parchment out and cut it into bars. They can be divided into 12 larger bars, but I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars. After cutting, top each piece with some salted caramel sauce. You can eat these apple pie bars warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
Caramel Apple Bars
These bars make an excellent fall dessert. We prefer to microwave individual servings before topping them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It quickly became a family favorite, and perhaps it will do the same for your family. —Carol Stuber, Osawatomie, Kansas.
Prep: 25min
Total: 50min
Yield: 20 servings.
250 calories, 10 grams of fat (5 grams of saturated fat), 18 milligrams of cholesterol, 241 milligrams of sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates (24 grams of sugars), 1 gram of fiber, and 3 grams of protein make up the nutrition facts.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
- FILLING:
- 4-1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 package (11 ounces) caramels
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instruction:
Cream butter, shortening, and brown sugar in a sizable bowl for 5-7 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda; mix well. If desired, stir in pecans. Set aside 2 cups. Press remaining oat mixture into an ungreased 13×9-in. baking pan. apples with flour for the filling; spoon over the crust. Melt the butter and caramels in a saucepan over low heat before drizzling them over the apples. Top with the reserved oat mixture. , Bake at 400° until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars.
Caramel Apple Bars
Try this simple bar with apples and melted caramel inside layers of brown sugar and oats if you have extra apples but don’t feel like making a pie.
Prep: 20min
Total: 50min
Yield: 36
Serving Size: 1 Serving
Nutritional Information: Serving Size 1 Serving, Calories 145, Carbohydrate 24 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Fat 1, Fiber 1 g, Protein 2 g, Saturated Fat 3, and Sodium 130 mg.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 3/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)
- 3 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
- 1 bag (14 ounces) caramels
Instruction:
- Heat oven to 400°F. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Add the oats, 1 3/4 cups flour, salt, and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups of the oat mixture, and then press the remaining oat mixture into a 13x9x2 inch, ungreased rectangular pan.
- Mix apples with 3 tablespoons of flour, then top with mixture in pan. Pour caramels evenly over apples after melting them over low heat with occasional stirring. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until apple slices are soft and topping is golden. While still warm, divide 36 bars into 6 rows by 6 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
Caramel Apple Bars
These simple Caramel Apple Bars feature a gooey caramel center, a soft cake mix crust, and a ton of apple chunks and nuts. A delicious fall dessert is warm apple squares, especially when they’re paired with vanilla ice cream.
Prep: 20min
Total: 45min
Serving Size: 1
Nutritional Information: Serving Size 1 contains 189 calories, 28 grams of carbohydrates, 12 milligrams of cholesterol, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 3 grams of saturated fat. There are also 213 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of sugar, 0 grams of trans fat, and 4 grams of unsaturated fat.
Ingredients:
- 1 spice cake mix
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup apple cider
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups diced apples
- 1 cup caramel apple dip, available next to the apples in the produce section.
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
Instruction:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Cake mix, butter, and apple cider should all be combined until a soft dough forms.
- Gently press half of the dough into the prepared pan’s bottom. To do this, you’ll need to apply baking spray to your hands.
- Spread the caramel dip over the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with the apples and walnuts.
- Over the mixture in the pan, scatter the remaining dough. Try to drop small pieces evenly everywhere. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for at least an hour on a wire rack.
- Stir together the powdered sugar and the water. Drizzle over the top of the bars. Let set.
- Refrigerate bars until ready to serve. For a delicious treat, microwave a square for 10–15 seconds before topping with vanilla ice cream.
Caramel Apple Bars
You’ll love these simple caramel apple bars topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce as the best fall dessert.
Prep: 20min
Total: 1h10min
Yield: 16
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups peeled and diced apples
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
Instruction:
- Set the oven to 350°F and use parchment paper to line an 8-inch square baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt for the crumble and crust. Fold in melted butter and vanilla until combined. Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, reserving 3/4 cup of it for the topping (keep chilled). Until lightly golden and set, bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, combine apples and lemon juice to make the apple filling. Apples are added to a bowl along with the sugar, cinnamon, and arrowroot starch mixture, and is then combined.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce over the apples and distribute the apple filling evenly over the cooled crust. Crumble reserved dough over the top.
- Bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the filling is just beginning to bubble. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Lift the parchment carefully, place the bars on a cutting board, and use a sharp knife to cut them into squares. Drizzle with remaining salted caramel sauce.
- Refrigerate leftover bars in an airtight container, and reheat just before serving.
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars | Delish
FAQ
Should apples be cold before dipping in caramel?
You don’t want to lose any of that yummy caramel! Tip #4 – Cool the dipped apples in the fridge If you place the parchment paper on a pan before beginning, then you can easily slip the apples in the fridge once they’ve been dipped. This will aid in setting the caramel and stop it from slipping off.
How do you make a Carmel apple Bar?
- The first step is to core and quarter the apples, then dip them in Sprite to prevent browning.
- Poke a lollipop stick in the apples. …
- Then, add the various toppings, candies, and caramel sauce to a number of bowls.
How do you get toppings to stick to caramel apples?
Each apple should be submerged for 15 to 20 seconds while being held by the popsicle stick. The apples won’t be cooked at all, but this will remove any wax and make it easier for the caramel to stick to the apples.
Why would caramel not stick to apples?
It’s crucial to wash and dry apples because they have a waxy coating that will prevent the caramel from sticking. Make sure the apples are cold so that the caramel won’t slide off.