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Caramel Apple Pie Toffee Bars

posted by Liz Berg on April 21, 2023

These dreamy Caramel Apple Pie Bars with Toffee have a layer of shortbread, apples, and toffee-spiked streusel and are finished off with a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Apple Desserts are terrific any time of year and paired with caramel make a treat that’s impossible to resist!

Caramel Apple Pie Toffee Bars stacked on a white plate.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Reader Endorsement:

3 Ingredient Notes

4 Recipe Tips:

5 Frequently Asked Questions

6 You May Also Like:

7 Caramel Apple Pie Toffee Bars

Why You Must Make

When fall rolls around, it’s the perfect time to focus on baking up all sorts of apple desserts, and apple bars belong at the top of the list.
In fact, there are already some exquisite Apple Streusel Bars on this site. But these apple pie bars have a little boost that pushes them over the top: toffee bits!
Sometimes, I go wild and make an extravagant toffee laden cake, but simple apple bars will give you a quick apple dessert and toffee fix without breaking a sweat.

Reader Endorsement:

From the comments: These bars are out of this world delicious! They are better than apple pie. I have made them about 10 times now, and my family can’t get enough of them. Thank you for the recipe.

A single Caramel Apple Bar on a square plate.

Ingredient Notes

When I told Bill there were some apple pie bars in the fridge, that definitely piqued his interest. I didn’t mention anything about the toffee bits as I know that could be enough to dissuade him from taking that first bite. My plan worked as he fell hard for this apple dessert, then when our son, Tom, came over on Sunday, he went on and on about how amazing they were again. My knitting group adored them, too. I shared the recipe for these gems before I even left for home. You’ll love that these apple bar cookies are an easy way to get the marvelous flavor of apple pie without all the toil and trouble!

Kitchen Staples – Flour, Kosher Salt, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Ground Cinnamon
Butter – I used salted butter in this recipe. If you use unsalted, just add a touch more salt to the dough.
Toffee Chips – You can always chop your own from Heath or Skor bars
Large Apples – Use a variety of baking apples. Peel, core, and cut into slices
Homemade or Storebought Caramel Sauce – An optional garnish if serving to company or if you really love caramel!

A stream of caramel pouring over a stack of Caramel Apple Pie Bars.

Recipe Tips:

If you don’t want to make a full batch of these apple pie bars, cut this recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8-inch pan and bake the crust for only 18 minutes instead of 20.
Line your pan with non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper so you can pull the cooled bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board for easy slicing.
You can buy toffee bits or buy a few Heath bars to chop and make your own.
PRO-Tip: I like using a variety of baking apples for a depth of flavor. Some favorites include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Northern Spys, and Golden Delicious.
If you want to drizzle yours with caramel, there are a couple of options. I have a microwave caramel sauce on this blog or you can purchase a premium jar of caramel sauce (look for butter and cream as ingredients on the label).
PRO-Tip: Drizzle with caramel as you serve each bar. If you drizzle the whole pan, the streusel could get soft.
Use a pastry blender to make the streusel topping or if you don’t mind getting your fingers messy, I find my hands do the job quite efficiently! You can pinch together some of the crumbs to make bigger pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Know When These Apple Bars are Done?

Use the baking time in the recipe as a guideline, but all ovens bake a little differently. When these bars are done, you will smell an incredible aroma coming from your oven, plus the crumb topping will be lightly browned.

Why Do You Use a Variety of Apples When Making Apple Crumble Bars?

When you make any apple dessert, a variety of apples gives a depth of flavor that doesn’t happen when you use only one type of apple. Try a sweet and tart variety. And a softer and crisper variety.

What is a Crumble?

A crumble is a British dessert, usually containing fruit, that’s topped with a crumbly pastry mixture and baked. Crumble and streusel are often used interchangeably.