Description
These Apple Pie Bars combine a buttery shortbread crust, tender spiced apple filling, and a crumbly cinnamon streusel topping, all drizzled with decadent homemade salted caramel sauce. Perfect as a handheld dessert, these bars capture the classic apple pie flavor in a convenient bar form, ideal for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Salted Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 5 tbsp (70 g) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4–1/2 tsp salt
Shortbread Crust:
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup (67 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (188 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
Streusel Topping:
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup (94 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Apple Filling:
- 5 cups (700 g) apples peeled and diced into ½ inch pieces (about 4 large apples)
- 1/2 cup (140 g) salted caramel sauce
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
Instructions
- Make Salted Caramel Sauce: Add granulated sugar to a large saucepan over medium-low heat and let it melt slowly until golden, turning heat to low to avoid burning, about 20 minutes. Once melted, quickly stir in softened butter until combined. Next, stir in room temperature heavy cream briskly to incorporate; if separation occurs, increase heat slightly and stir until smooth. Finally, mix in salt and vanilla. Let simmer on low for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and cool completely.
- Prepare Shortbread Crust: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×9 inch baking pan and line bottom and two sides with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on high speed until fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add flour and salt, mixing on low until fully combined and crumbly. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden. Let cool completely.
- Make Streusel Topping: While crust bakes, cream together softened butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add flour, salt, and ground cinnamon, mixing on low speed until coarse crumbs form. Place streusel in the freezer while preparing the filling.
- Cook Apple Filling: In a large saucepan, combine peeled and diced apples, cooled salted caramel sauce, and all spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves). Stir to coat apples evenly. Cook covered over medium heat for 16-20 minutes until apples are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and promote even cooking. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- Assemble and Bake: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the cooked apple filling evenly over the cooled shortbread crust. Sprinkle the chilled streusel topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours.
- Serve: Cut into 16 bars. Drizzle additional caramel sauce over the bars if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream for extra indulgence.
Notes
- Use firm apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for best texture in the filling.
- Make sure butter and cream for caramel are at room temperature to prevent separation.
- Cooling the streusel in the freezer helps it maintain its crumbly texture during baking.
- Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
- For easier cutting, refrigerate bars until firm before slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (approximately 80g)
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 37g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 40mg
