Easy Caramel Apple Bars

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 easy apple pie bars taste just like warm apple crisp or the best homemade apple pie.

A buttery, brown sugar crust and crumble topping envelop a layer of tender apples and rich salted caramel sauce in these irresistible bars.

Serve bars warm with an extra drizzle of salted caramel sauce (or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!) for the very best fall dessert.

Love baking with apples? Check out my full collection of apple dessert recipes for more inspiration!

Key Ingredients

• Flour – Use all-purpose flour in the crust and crumble. If you’d like to make these bars gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten free 1-1 baking flour for best results.
• Oats – I recommend regular rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats for the best 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 – For flavor.
• 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 cups of peeled and diced apples. I used a blend of Fuji, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious apples. Honeycrisp or pink lady apples are also delicious.
• Lemon juice – A teaspoon of fresh lemon juice balances out the flavor of the apple filling.
• 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! 🙂

How to Make Caramel Apple Bars

Crust and crumble – The crust and crumble mixture is made with flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, melted butter, and vanilla. Once combined, the mixture resembles oatmeal cookie dough.

Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan, reserving 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping (keep chilled). Bake the crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until set, then cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack.

Apple filling – Toss diced apples with a splash of lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch). For baking, I like a mix of sweet-tart apples with a semi-firm texture.

Salted caramel sauce – Homemade salted caramel sauce adds the most incredible flavor to these caramel apple bars! The caramel sauce can be made ahead (gently re-warm in the microwave before using).

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 35 to 40 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 homemade caramel sauce 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!

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