Caramel Apple Bars with Oatmeal Crumble

Layered caramel apple bars make a delicious, crowd-pleasing fall dessert! Made with an oatmeal cookie crust and crumble topping, the bars are baked in an 8-inch pan, no mixer required! Featuring a spiced apple filling topped with caramel sauce, these apple pie bars taste just like warm apple crisp or the best homemade apple pie.

Want to save this recipe?

Just enter your email and we’ll send it straight to your inbox! Plus you’ll get new recipes from us weekly!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

First Name *

Email *

Save Recipe

When I’m craving apple pie but not in the mood to make pie crust from scratch or roll out dough, I turn to these dessert bars!

The buttery, brown sugar crust and crumble topping are made from one simple dough (thank you, melted butter!), and envelop a layer of tender apples and rich salted caramel sauce.

Serve warm with an extra drizzle of caramel and a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream for the coziest dessert.

Love baking with apples? Find more ideas in my collection of apple dessert recipes!

Key Ingredients

• Flour – Use all-purpose flour in the crust and crumble. If you’d like to make these bars gluten-free, try a gluten free 1-1 baking flour for best results.
• Oats – I recommend regular rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats for the best chewy texture.
• Brown sugar – Use light or dark brown sugar in the crust/crumble mixture. Dark brown sugar will add a slightly richer molasses flavor.
• Baking soda – Gives the bars a bit of a lift.
• Salt – Balances the flavors.
• Butter – Melted unsalted butter brings the oatmeal crumble mixture together easily.
• Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds rich flavor to the crust and crumble.
• Apples – You’ll need 2 1/2 cups of peeled and diced apples. For baking, I like to use a mix of sweet-tart apples with a semi-firm texture. Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious apples all work well.
• Lemon juice – A teaspoon of fresh lemon juice prevents the apples from browning.
• Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the apple filling.
• Cinnamon – Adds cozy spice flavor to the apples. You can also use apple pie spice.
• Starch – Arrowroot starch or cornstarch prevents the apple filling from being too juicy.
• Salted caramel sauce – A must for caramel apple bars! 🙂 As a timesaver, the caramel sauce can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator (gently re-warm in the microwave before using).

How to Make Caramel Apple Bars

Crust and crumble – Whisk dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl until well combined, then add melted butter and vanilla extract. Fold in with a spatula until incorporated (the mixture will resemble oatmeal cookie dough).

Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture to use for the topping (keep chilled in the refrigerator). Press remaining mixture evenly and firmly across the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Cool crust for 15 minutes on a wire rack.

Apple filling – Toss diced apples with lemon juice, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch).

Assemble bars – Spoon the apple filling over the cooled crust and drizzle the apples with 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce. Sprinkle the reserved crumble over the apple layer and return the pan to the oven.

Bake – Bake the bars for another 40 to 42 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden and the filling is slightly bubbly. Cool bars completely in pan on a wire rack.

Serve – Just before serving, chill the bars in the freezer for 10 minutes, then cut into squares with a sharp knife. Drizzle the bars with remaining caramel and enjoy!

More caramel apple treats you’ll love:

• Salted Caramel Apple Pie
• Caramel Apple Puff Pastry Tarts
• Apple Cider Layer Cake
• Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
• Salted Caramel Apple Tart

Did you try these Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!

Caramel Apple Bars with Oatmeal Crumble

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Laura Kasavan
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 16 bars
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

Print Recipe

Save Recipe Recipe Saved

---

Description

Layered caramel apple bars make a delicious, crowd-pleasing fall dessert! Made with an oatmeal cookie crust and crumble topping, the bars are baked in an 8-inch pan, no mixer required! Featuring a spiced apple filling topped with caramel sauce, these cozy apple pie bars taste just like warm apple crisp or the best homemade apple pie. 

---

Ingredients

Crust and Crumble

• 1 1/4 cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (84 g) rolled oats
• 3/4 cup (150 g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) vanilla extract

Apple Filling

• 2 1/2 cups (300 g) peeled and diced apples
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 Tbsp (12 g) arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)

Caramel

• 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Make crust and crumble: Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Fold in melted butter and vanilla until combined. Reserve 3/4 cup of dough for topping (chill until ready to use); press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
4. Make apple filling: Combine apples and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and arrowroot starch; add to bowl with apples and toss together until combined.
5. Spoon apple filling evenly over the cooled crust and drizzle the apples with 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce. Crumble reserved dough over the top.
6. Bake bars for another 40 to 42 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
7. Just before cutting, chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. Carefully lift parchment and place bars on a cutting board; cut into squares with a sharp knife. Drizzle with remaining salted caramel sauce.
8. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator and warm briefly before serving.

Equipment

Mixing Bowls

Buy Now →

Square Baking Pan

Buy Now →

---

Notes

Gluten Free Bars: Use your favorite 1-1 gluten-free flour and gluten-free oats.

Larger Batch: For a larger batch of bars, double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan.