Description
These Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars feature a buttery shortbread crust, a spiced apple filling, and a crunchy oat streusel topping, all drizzled with luscious salted caramel sauce. Perfectly balanced between sweet and tart, they make an irresistible dessert or snack that can be enjoyed warm, cold, or at room temperature.
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), about 3-4 cups
- 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
To Finish
- Homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides for easy removal later. Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until combined. Add the flour and mix until fully incorporated. Press this mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven to prepare filling and streusel while the crust bakes.
- Prepare the apple filling: In a large bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well coated. Set aside.
- Make the streusel: Whisk together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold cubed butter using a pastry blender, two forks, or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Assemble and bake: Increase oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apple filling over the warm crust, pressing down gently to fit all slices tightly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the streusel is golden brown.
- Cool and chill: Remove from oven and cool at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight to set properly.
- Slice and serve: Use the parchment overhang to lift the baked bars from the pan. Cut into 12-16 bars depending on desired size. Drizzle each bar with salted caramel sauce just before serving. Bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
- Special Tools: 8-inch square baking pan, glass mixing bowls, whisk, silicone spatula or wooden spoon, pastry blender.
- Apple Variety: Use a mix of tart (such as Granny Smith) and sweet (such as Pink Lady) apples for a complex flavor profile. The amount should yield about 3–4 cups.
- Scaling Up: Double the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan, pre-bake crust for 18 minutes, and increase baking time in step 5 to 45-55 minutes.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (assuming 16 bars)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
