Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
These delicious Apple Crumb Bars feature a shortbread crust, cinnamon apples, and an oat crumble topping. Finish with a generous drizzle of salted caramel sauce and enjoy every bite of this delicious fall dessert.
Servings 9 -12
Calories 228kcal
Ingredients
Crust and crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter cut into cubes
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Apple filling:
- 3-4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (about 3-4 apples)
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Topping:
- ⅓ cup good quality caramel sauce plus more for serving (see note)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°, with a rack in the center of the oven. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper, grease it, and set aside.
Crust and topping:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add cubed butter and vanilla and beat until the butter is broken up into small irregular pieces. If necessary, use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour. Once the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of pebbles, place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
- In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for apple filling. Stir until well combined.
Assembly:
- Scoop 2 cups (loosely measured, not packed) of the crust/topping and dump it into the baking dish. Use the back of the measuring cup to press the mixture into an even layer to form the crust. Set aside the remaining crumb mixture.
- Add the apples on top of the crust. Arrange them in tight layers, overlapping the pieces.
- Stir ⅓ cup oats and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle the topping over the apples pressing some of it together to form clumps.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes, until the topping is light golden brown and the apples are tender (insert a sharp knife to check). Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Drizzle with caramel sauce. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Top with ice cream and caramel sauce. Note: The bars will cut more neatly if chilled.
Video
Notes
Caramel sauce: Use good quality, fairly thick caramel sauce (not thin caramel ice cream topping). I use Trader Joe's fleur de sel caramel sauce. If you can't find salted caramel sauce, you can use regular caramel sauce. Just lightly sprinkle the top of the bars with a little sea salt to add some balance to all the sweetness.
Serving: Serve warm, chilled, or room temperature. The colder the bars are the more easily they will hold their shape. Top with vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of salted caramel sauce to serve.
Storage: Once cool, store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The texture is best within 24 hours of baking, the crust and topping will soften over time.
Recipe updated September 2022. If you'd prefer the original recipe, it can be found here.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 147mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg