Description
These Caramel Apple Crumble Bars combine a buttery oat crust with a sweet, spiced caramelized apple filling, topped with a crunchy pecan oat crumble. Perfectly balanced with warm cinnamon and nutmeg spices, these bars offer an easy and delicious dessert perfect for fall or any time you crave a comforting treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
Apple Filling
- 6 medium apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or a mix), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider or apple juice
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup.
- Mix crust ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
- Cut in butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Be careful not to overmix to keep the crumbly texture.
- Press crust: Press about two-thirds of the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan to form the base crust.
- Cook apple filling: In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, brown sugar, apple cider, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Cook while stirring occasionally until the apples soften and begin to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes.
- Thicken filling: In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Stir this slurry into the apple mixture and cook for another 1-2 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add filling to crust: Pour the thickened apple filling evenly over the pressed crust in the baking pan.
- Prepare crumble topping: In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts if using, and cinnamon.
- Cut in butter for topping: Add the cold, cubed butter to this mixture and cut in until the mixture becomes crumbly. Again, avoid overmixing to maintain a crumbly topping.
- Top apple filling: Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apple filling layer in the pan.
- Bake: Place the baking pan in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbly around the edges.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. This lets the filling set and makes serving easier.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use a mix of tart and sweet apples like Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.
- Chilling the crumb topping before baking can help keep it extra crumbly.
- Optional nuts add a nice crunch but can be omitted for a nut-free version.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang so bars can be lifted out easily after cooling.
- These bars can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
- Reheat individual bars briefly in the microwave or oven for a warm treat.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: caramel apple bars, apple crumble bars, easy apple dessert, fall dessert, apple oat bars, caramel apple crumble
