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 easy apple pie bars taste just like warm apple crisp or the best homemade apple pie.
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Apple Filling
- 2 cups peeled and diced apples
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
Caramel
1/2 cup salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- 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 (keep chilled); press remaining dough evenly into bottom of prepared pan.
- Bake crust for 14 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.
- Make apple filling: Place 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.
- 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.
- Bake bars for another 35 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling slightly bubbly. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.
- 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.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator and warm briefly before serving.
Notes
Oats: I recommend regular rolled oats instead of quick-cooking oats for the best texture.
Apples: I used a blend of Fuji, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious apples. Honeycrisp or pink lady apples are also delicious.
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.
Keywords: Caramel, Salted Caramel, Apple, Bars, Crumb Bars