Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Published on October 26, 2022
Quick Summary
Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars- apple pie bars with a thick buttery crust, a layer of spiced apples, a layer of salted caramel sauce, and a sweet crumb topping. The perfect fall dessert!
Are you ready for the most amazing fall dessert?
Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars are one of my favorite treats to make when apples are in season. The bars have a thick buttery crust, a layer of crisp, perfectly spiced apples, a layer of salted caramel sauce, AND a crumb topping.
So basically caramel apples and apple pie combine to create one DELICIOUS dessert!
The bars are made in a 9×13-inch pan, making them perfect for all of your fall parties and potlucks. I love making them for dinner parties, Halloween, and even Thanksgiving. Everyone loves a good apple dessert!
Apple Filling
For the apple filling, you will need the following ingredients.
- Apples– I like to use Granny Smith apples, but Honeycrisp are also good. You will need 5 cups of diced apples.
- Lemon juice– to prevent the apples from browning and to brighten up the filling.
- Flour– use all-purpose flour
- Cornstarch– for thickening the filling.
- Sugar– use granulated (white) sugar.
- Salt
- Spices– cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground-all spice.
Crust and Topping
I love this recipe because the crust and topping are easy to make. You mix everything together and half of the mixture is the crust and the other half is the crumb topping.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon– I add just a hint of cinnamon to the dough to make it extra special.
- Butter– make sure your butter is COLD!
- Egg– to bind everything together.
- Vanilla extract– vanilla adds the best flavor!
Salted Caramel Sauce
Apples and caramel are a match made in heaven. After you put spread the spiced apples over the crust, you drizzle salted caramel sauce over the top! YUM!
I like to use my homemade salted caramel sauce, it is the BEST! Of course, you can use store bought caramel sauce. I like Trader Joe's.
How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. You can also line the pan with parchment paper to make the bars easier to lift out of the pan.
- For the apple filling– place the diced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground all-spice. Pour over the apples and carefully combine. Set aside.
- For the dough-in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by using your hands, until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter.
- Mix the egg and vanilla together. Add into the flour and butter mixture and combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
- Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the apple filling.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel layer and pat gently.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares.
Serving and Storing
We like to cut the bars into squares and serve warm with vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of salted caramel sauce. Dessert heaven!
The bars will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Make sure the bars are completely cooled and then place in a freezer container or freezer bag in a single layer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
More Apple Desserts
- Apple Cobbler
- Cinnamon Apple Crumble
- Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple Galette
- Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping
- Apple Hand Pies
Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 5 cups peeled and diced apples (I used Granny Smith)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice
- 3/4 cup Salted Caramel Sauce (can use store bought)
For the Crust & Topping:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Serving:
- Vanilla ice cream and extra salted caramel sauce, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- For the apple filling- place the diced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground all-spice. Pour over the apples and carefully combine. Set aside.
- For the dough-in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by using your hands, until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter. Mix the egg and vanilla together. Add into the flour and butter mixture and combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
- Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Drizzle the salted caramel sauce over the apple filling. Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel layer and pat gently.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares. You can serve the bars with vanilla ice cream and extra salted caramel sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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