Description
These Salted Caramel Apple Bars combine a buttery oat crust with tender spiced apples, all topped with a rich salted caramel sauce and a crunchy crumb topping. Perfect for fall, this dessert balances sweet and salty flavors with warm spices for a comforting treat.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple Filling
- 3 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp recommended), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch baking pan, or line it with parchment paper to ease cleanup. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, and salt. Cut the cold butter into the mixture using a pastry blender or your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs, being careful not to overmix. Stir in the brown sugar, then press this crumbly mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and cool completely.
- Make the caramel sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the granulated sugar and water, but do not stir. Allow the sugar to dissolve and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it turns a deep amber color, taking care not to burn it. Remove from heat and carefully add the heavy cream (it will bubble vigorously). Whisk constantly until smooth, then stir in the butter, sea salt, and vanilla extract until the caramel is glossy and well combined. Let it cool slightly.
- Prepare the apple filling: In a medium bowl, toss the thinly sliced apples with flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until the apples are evenly coated.
- Assemble the bars: Spread the cooled caramel sauce evenly over the cooled crust. Next, distribute the apple mixture over the caramel layer, gently pressing the apples down to compact them slightly.
- Make the topping: In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt. Mix until crumbly. Sprinkle this crumb topping evenly over the apples.
- Bake: Bake the assembled bars for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbly. Keep a close eye to prevent over-browning or burning.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before cutting into portions and serving. This helps the layers set properly for neat bars.
Notes
- Using tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp provides a good balance against the sweetness of the caramel.
- Make sure the butter for the crust is cold to achieve a crumbly and flaky texture.
- Be very careful while making caramel as it gets extremely hot and can burn quickly.
- Cooling the caramel and crust before layering helps prevent the caramel from soaking into the crust excessively.
- These bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.
- To reheat, warm gently in the microwave or oven to soften the caramel and apples.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Salted Caramel Apple Bars, Caramel Apple Bars, Fall Dessert, Apple Dessert, Oat Crumble Bars, Homemade Bars, Autumn Recipe
