Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
For the Apple Filling:
- 2 fresh apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Streusel Topping:
- ½ cup whole rolled oats
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar (dark or light)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
To Finish:
- Store-bought caramel sauce for drizzling
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 300°F. I always prepare my 8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving some hanging over the sides for easy removal later. This is such a time-saver!
- For the crust, I mix the melted butter, vanilla, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Then I stir in the flour until I have a smooth dough. Press this firmly into the prepared pan, making sure it’s even, and bake for about 15 minutes.
- While the crust bakes, I prepare my apple filling. After peeling and thinly slicing the apples, I toss them in a bowl with the flour, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg until they’re well-coated.
- For the streusel, I combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in another bowl. Then comes the fun part – I cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter (or sometimes just my fingers) until the mixture gets nice and crumbly.
- Once the crust is done, I increase the oven temperature to 350°F. I layer the apple slices on the warm crust, gently pressing them down so they fit snugly. Then I sprinkle the streusel all over the top, making sure to cover all the apples.
- The assembled bars go back in the oven for 30-35 minutes until that streusel turns gorgeously golden brown. Patience is key here!
- After baking, I let the bars cool on the counter for about 20 minutes before refrigerating for a couple hours (overnight is even better if I can resist that long!).
- Finally, I lift the entire dessert out using the parchment paper edges, slice it into squares, and drizzle each piece with salted caramel sauce right before serving.
Notes
- Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars are absolutely amazing on their own, but I’ve discovered some tricks that take them to the next level! I sometimes add a tiny pinch of cardamom to the apple mixture for an extra dimension of flavor. When I’m feeling fancy, I’ll toast the oats for the streusel for about 5 minutes before mixing with the other ingredients – this adds such a wonderful nutty flavor!
- If you’re serving these at a special occasion, try warming them slightly and topping with a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside the caramel drizzle. For storage, these bars keep beautifully in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container, though they’re rarely around that long in my house!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg