Salted caramel apple pie bars are soft oat bars with a gooey apple pie filling. The crust and topping are made from the same mixture. This recipe’s delicious as is or with homemade or storebought caramel on top!
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Salted caramel apple pie bars taste just like pie-only much easier! They’re quick to make, full of fall flavor, and perfect for sharing.
I adapted this caramel apple pie bars recipe from my Cranberry Lemon Bars. I swapped in fresh apples, extra spices and this easy salted caramel sauce!
If you’re ready for more apples desserts ideas, try my apple cinnamon pop tarts.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These easy apple pie bars are much easier than pie just like this strawberry apple crisp.
- The gooey apple filling is completely homemade and easy to mix. It’s full of apple flavor like my apple turnovers with phyllo and apple cake with olive oil.
- The crust and topping are made from the same simple mixture. I also use this recipe to make my cherry crumble pie bars!
- A drizzle of homemade or store bought salted caramel sauce makes caramel apple pie bars extra decadent!
Ingredients
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make apple crisp bars.
- Apples: You’ll need about 3 medium or 2 large apples. Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Apples add both tart flavor and sweetness. I prefer baking with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. For another delicious apple recipe, try my apple crumble muffins!
- Lemon juice and zest: Lemon adds fresh flavor, balances the sweetness and keeps the apples from turning brown.
- Butter: Use unsalted, room temperature butter.
- Brown sugar: Use fresh, light or dark brown sugar for the crust and topping. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
- Oats: Use old fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats. Do not use instant oats to make these apple oatmeal bars. If you love baking with oats, try my brown butter oatmeal cookies and apple crumble cheesecake recipe!
- Flour: Use all purpose flour for the crust and for thickening the apple filling.
- Spices: I use a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. For more spiced treats, try these delicious chai bars.
- Salted caramel sauce: Drizzle bars with salted caramel sauce or serve the bars with a jar of salted caramel sauce on the table. Use storebought caramel sauce or make my easy salted caramel sauce!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have nutmeg or allspice, swap in cardamom, ground ginger or ground cloves!
- Instead of caramel sauce, enjoy these caramel apple crisp bars as is!
- You can also dust them with powdered sugar before serving. They’re also yummy with a scoop of ice cream on top.
- I have not made these bars gluten free. Most of my recipes work well with a 1:1 gluten free flour.
How to Make Apple Pie Bars
Quick Video Recap
Instructions
Step 1: (See photo 1 above). In a medium bowl, combine the apples with the rest of the apple filling ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula til mixture is well combined and the apple slices are all coated with the mixture. Set aside.
Step 2: (See photo 2 above). In a large mixing bowl, stir to combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt .Add the room temperature butter.
Step 3: (See photo 3 above). Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the mixture
Step 4: (See photo 4 above). Press half of the mixture into a buttered 8X8 inch square pan.
Step 5: (See photo 5 above). Spread the apple pie filling over the crust.
Step 6: (See photo 6 above). Sprinkle the rest of the crumble over the apple layer. Press down very lightly just to make sure it’s in place.
Step 7: (See photo 7 above). Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 4 hours.
Step 8: (See photo 8 above). Serve with homemade or store-bought caramel sauce. I recommend making this simple salted caramel sauce!
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Make sure your brown sugar is fresh.
Tip #2: Use an 8 inch pan. I don’t recommend making them in a 9 inch pan. The bars would be too thin if you use a 9-inch pan.
Tip #3: You can make the caramel sauce while the bars are cooling. Homemade caramel sauce only takes about 15 minutes to make. Caramel sauce can also be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month.
Recipe FAQs
Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are the best apples for baking. For these bars, we need about 3 medium or 2 large apples. I like to use two types of apples for a combination of tart and sweet apple flavor!
Store leftover apple and oatmeal bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Freeze leftover bars in an airtight for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 (360 grams) medium apples or 2 large, peeled, cored, thinly sliced into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices, about 360 grams
- 2 tablespoons (15 g) all purpose flour
- 2½ tablespoons (30 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) lemon zest
- 1¼ teaspoons (1¼ teaspoons) cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon (⅛ teaspoon) allspice
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
Crust and Topping
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all purpose flour
- 1⅓ cups (108.11 g) old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats (not instant)
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (¼ teaspoon) salt
- ⅔ cup (146.67 g) light brown sugar
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- salted caramel sauce for topping, use store bought or homemade (see notes section below for homemade recipe)
Instructions
Apple Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter an 8-inch square pan. Line the pan with a large strip of parchment paper. Leave an overhang on both sides of the parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the apples with the rest of the apple filling ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula til mixture is well combined and the apple slices are all coated with the mixture. Set aside.
Crust and Topping
- In a large bowl, stir to combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon salt and baking powder.
- Add the cubed butter. Stir or mix together with your hands.
- Spoon half of the mixture into the pan. Press it firmly in the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the apple filling over the crisp layer. Sprinkle the remainder of the crisp topping over the apple layer. Press lightly to make sure it's in place.
- Bake 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Place the pan on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely, for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Cut into squares. Drizzle each square with homemade or storebought salted caramel sauce. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
weave139
It’s an apple crumble with super easy directions and pretty tasty. I didn’t make the caramel sauce and my husband loved it just as it was. A tip when spreading and pressing the mixture in the bottom of the pan–wet your fingertips to help keep it from sticking to your fingers.
Natalie
Thanks so much for making this recipe and for sharing your helpful recipe notes! I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it!!