Do you love apple pie, but just don’t feel like going to all that trouble? These delicious bars will give you all of that buttery crust and sweet apple pie filling goodness, without all the work. We have made these several times, and every time they just get better and better. The topping is good on its own, but the salted caramel drizzled on top at the end really brings them over the top. Make a pan of these for your holiday gathering (or just to munch on after the kids go to bed) and you may never need a real apple pie again!
Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Author: Heather
Recipe type: Bars
Cuisine: Dessert
These buttery sweet dessert bars will cure your craving for apple pie in no time!
Ingredients
- BUTTERY SHORTBREAD CRUST
- 1 cup butter, melted
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- APPLE FILLING
- 4 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I usually use granny smith, honeycrisp, or pink lady apples)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- STREUSEL TOPPING
- 1 cup oats
- ⅔ cups dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup butter, cold and cubed
- Caramel topping, store bought or homemade, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F .
- Prepare a 13x9 inch pan with parchment paper with some left to hang over the sides
- For the crust, Gently stir the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add the flour and stir until everything is combined.
- Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes while you make the filling and the streusel topping.
- To make the apple filling, toss the sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated.
- In a separate bowl, make the streusel by whisking the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.
- Cut in the chilled butter with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F.
- Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust.
- Press down gently on the crust.
- Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes
- Before serving, drizzle caramel on top.
- Slice into squares and serve.
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