Description
These Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars combine a buttery shortbread crust with a spiced apple filling and a crunchy oat streusel topping, all drizzled with rich salted caramel sauce. Perfect for a sweet snack or dessert, they offer the comforting flavors of apple pie in a convenient bar form.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Apple Filling
- 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
Streusel
- 1/2 cup (43g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides for easy removal. Set aside.
- Make the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the all-purpose flour and mix until combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Prepare the apple filling. In a large bowl, combine the peeled and sliced apples with flour, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Toss until the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Make the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Cut in the cold, cubed butter using a pastry blender, two forks or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Assemble and bake. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apple filling tightly over the baked crust, pressing down to fit. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Cool and chill. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Cut and serve. Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 12 to 16 bars. Drizzle each bar with salted caramel sauce before serving. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Notes
- The bars keep fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze bars for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving and drizzling with caramel sauce.
- For a more complex flavor, use a mix of tart Granny Smith and sweeter Pink Lady apples.
- The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan; pre-bake crust for 18 minutes then bake assembled bars for 45-55 minutes.
- A pastry blender or two forks can be used to cut the butter into the streusel topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 110 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
