Description
Buttery Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars feature a tender shortbread crust, cinnamon-spiced apples, crisp oat streusel, and a rich caramel drizzle. They offer classic apple pie flavor in a simple, shareable dessert bar.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 large apples, peeled, cored, and 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 old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/3 cup salted caramel sauce, plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang for lifting.
- Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add 1 cup of flour and mix just until a soft shortbread dough forms.
- Press the dough firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes, then remove it from the oven.
- While the crust bakes, toss the sliced apples with 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the oats, brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup flour.
- Work the cold cubed butter into the oat mixture until coarse, uneven crumbs form.
- Raise the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Arrange the coated apple slices in tight, overlapping rows over the warm crust.
- Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the apples.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping turns golden and the apples feel tender.
- Cool the bars in the pan for at least 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Lift the chilled slab from the pan and cut it into 12 large or 16 small bars.
- Drizzle each bar with salted caramel sauce shortly before serving.
Notes
- Use one tart apple and one sweet apple for balanced flavor. Granny Smith pairs well with Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn.
- Measure flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling the top.
- Keep the streusel butter cold so the topping remains crumbly.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze individually wrapped bars for up to 3 months and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
- For a doubled batch, use a 9-by-13-inch pan, pre-bake the crust for about 18 minutes, and bake the assembled bars for 45 to 55 minutes.
- Add the caramel after baking and cutting so the topping stays crisp.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 105
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 25