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These sublime Caramel Apple Streusel Bars have the same delicious flavors as apple pie, but with half the effort! Add these beauties to your baking list ASAP!

When autumn arrives and the apple dessert cravings hit, these Apple Pie Bars drizzled with Caramel will make you swoon.

Caramel Apple Streusel Bars stacked on a white plate and drizzled with caramel.

Table of Contents hide
1 Why You Must
2 Expert Tips
3 How to Make Apple Crisp Bars
4 Frequently Asked Questions
5 You May Also Like:
6 Caramel Apple Streusel Bars Recipe

Why You Must

  • These are a perfect fall treat, celebrating both caramel and apple desserts!
  • If you love apple pie, these are an easier way to enjoy the marvelous tastes of sweet baked apples on a simple crust.
  • Plus, who doesn’t adore a crumb topping???

I’ve mentioned my weakness when it comes to caramel desserts, and the same goes for apple treats. Pies, crisps, and even apple bars tempt my sweet tooth more than any chocolate dessert. Going through and making each of these 25 All-American Apple Desserts would be my idea of heaven!

Apple Streusel Bars stacked on a white dessert plate.

 Expert Tips

I love patting a shortbread crust into a baking pan versus rolling out a pie crust. If you’re craving pie, but don’t want to deal with rolling out a pie crust, these caramel apple streusel bars will fit the bill. Easy as pie, I say!

  • After mixing up the crust dough, pat it into your prepared pan. PRO-Tip: Using the bottom of a measuring cup is a great way to make sure the crust is level and evenly distributed.
  • After the crust is baked, then line up four rows of apple slices that had been tossed with sugar, a bit of flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg, overlapping slightly.
  • Use “pie” apples which are apples that are best for baking. Granny Smith apples are always a safe choice, but I like to use two different varieties of apples for more depth of flavor.
  • Crumble the streusel topping made with oats over the top before baking. I like pinching bits of the streusel between my fingers making it a little chunkier.
  • PRO-Tip: Bake these apple pie bars until the apples are tender. Take a sharp knife and poke the tip into a few apple slices to check to see if they’re fully cooked. The knife
    should slide in easily.
  • Before serving these delicious Caramel Apple Streusel Bars, drizzle each of these apple streusel bars with caramel sauce–jarred or homemade are equally acceptable.
  • Check out my post on How to Cut the Perfect Bar Cookies for my slicing tips!
Caramel Apple Streusel Bars on a white ceramic plate with a red handled fork.

How to Make Apple Crisp Bars

  1. Preheat the oven and prepare your baking pan.
  2. Make the crust and press evenly onto the bottom of the pan. Bake as directed.
  3. Mix together the apple topping while the crust bakes.
  4. In another bowl, make the crumb topping.
  5. Evenly layer the apples on the baked crust. Sprinkle with the crumble.
  6. Bake until the streusel is lightly browned and apples are tender.
  7. Cool, then chill to make slicing easier. Serve with caramel sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Good Baking Apples?

Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, and Honey Crisp are all readily available baking apples. I prefer using two varieties for the best depth of flavor.

Other baking apples include: Northern Spy (my favorite for pies!), Pink Lady, Braeburn, Mutsu, Winesap, and Jonagold.

How Do You Store Apple Bars?

They are safe at room temperature for a day or two, but to prevent the moist bars from spoiling, store in the refrigerator. They’ll keep well for up to 5 days. Just bring to room temperature before serving.

Can You Freeze Apple Bars?

Yes, they freeze well for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm in the oven at 300° for 10-15 minutes.

How Do You Make Caramel Sauce?

It’s a little tricky and best to use a candy thermometer to make sure it comes to the proper temperature. It’s a matter of melting and caramelizing granulated sugar, then adding butter, cream and vanilla.

But since I started making Microwave Caramel Sauce, I rarely use the old-fashioned technique. It may take a trial run to find out how long it will take in your specific microwave, but it takes less than 10 minutes to measure out and cook this easy version.

You May Also Like:

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Apple Streusel Bars | All the flavors of apple pie with half the effort!
The Recipe:

Caramel Apple Streusel Bars Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield 16 bars

The delectable taste of apple pie in bar form! Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup flour

For the filling:

  • 2 large baking/pie apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, about ¼-inch thick
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • A few grates of fresh nutmeg (a pinch of ground nutmeg may be substituted)

For the topping:

  • ½ cup) old-fashioned oats
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¼ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
  • Homemade or jarred caramel sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300º. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with non-stick foil (or line with foil and spray with non-stick baking spray). Set aside.
  2. Stir the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
  3. While the crust is baking, combine the sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and gently toss to combine. Set aside.
  4. In another bowl mix the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.
  5. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or your hands, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
  6. Remove the crust from the oven, and increase the oven temperature to 350º. Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust (I made 4 rows of overlapping apple slices).
  7. Crumble to the streusel topping over the apples.
  8. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is lightly browned and apples are tender.
  9. Let cool at room temperature for about a half-hour, then chill for 2 hours. Before serving, remove bars from the pan using the foil and cut into 16 bars. Drizzle with caramel before serving.

Notes

Granny Smith apples are a good baking apple that's easy to find all year long.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 127mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 2g

Thatskinnychickcanbake.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although thatskinnychickcanbake.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe. Also, many recipes on thatskinnychickcanbake.com recommend toppings, which may or may not be listed as optional and nutritional information for these added toppings is not listed. Other factors may change the nutritional information such as when the salt amount is listed “to taste,” it is not calculated into the recipe as the amount will vary. Also, different online calculators can provide different results. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information obtained is accurate.

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© Liz Berg
Cuisine: American / Category: Bar Cookies