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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars Recipe

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4.3 from 14 reviews

These Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars combine a buttery shortbread crust with a tender cinnamon-spiced apple filling, topped with a crunchy oat streusel and drizzled with rich salted caramel sauce. Perfectly balanced with a touch of flaky sea salt, these bars offer a delightful twist on classic apple pie, baked to golden perfection and chilled for easy slicing.

Ingredients

Streusel

  • 1/2 cup (43g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Shortbread Crust

  • 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon (133g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)

Apple Filling

  • 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2.5 cups or 315g; 1/4-inch-thick slices)
  • 2 Tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Garnish

  • homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce
  • optional: flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 300°F (149°C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang on all sides to easily lift the bars later. Set aside.
  2. Make Streusel: In a medium bowl, whisk oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Cut in the cold, cubed butter using a pastry blender, two forks, or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate the streusel mixture until ready to use in step 6.
  3. Prepare Shortbread Crust: Combine melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla bean paste, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the flour until just combined. Press this mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake at 300°F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned at the edges.
  4. Mix Apple Filling: While the crust bakes, toss the peeled, thinly sliced apples with flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl, ensuring all slices are well-coated.
  5. Adjust Oven Temperature: Once the crust has baked, increase the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).
  6. Assemble Bars: Spread the apple filling evenly over the warm crust, pressing the slices down tightly to fit as many as possible. Sprinkle the chilled streusel evenly over the apples as a topping.
  7. Bake Bars: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel topping turns golden brown and the apples are tender.
  8. Cool and Chill: Remove the bars from the oven and let them cool at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Then place the bars in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours, which helps to set the bars for clean slicing.
  9. Serve: Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce and sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Enjoy warm, cold, or at room temperature.
  10. Storage: Store the bars tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days to maintain freshness.

Notes

  • Press the apple slices tightly when layering on the crust to fit as many as possible without leaving gaps.
  • Using parchment paper with overhang makes it easier to lift bars out of the pan cleanly.
  • Chilling the bars before slicing ensures neater squares and helps the filling set properly.
  • Feel free to substitute apples with other firm fruits like pears for variation.
  • The bars can be served at any temperature depending on your preference.

Find it online: https://recipeplenty.com/salted-caramel-apple-pie-bars-recipe/