Enjoy our Gooey Apple Pie Bars – they’re soft, full of yummy caramel, and perfect for fall!
We love baking with apples; add our popular Applesauce Cake or Apple Turnovers to your list for future baking projects.
The Best Apple Pie Bars
Apple Pie meets Carmelitas in these incredible Apple Pie Bars, and I’m all for it. These bars are the perfect apple treat; they’re gooey, chewy, and have just the right amount of apple.
They’re unlike any treat I’ve ever had, and I can’t get enough of them! These bars don’t have a distinct caramel layer; instead, the caramel bakes into the apples, creating an ultra-gooey center.
The apples bake up super soft, resulting in an overall chewy, gooey bar. If you love salted caramel, add a sprinkle of sea salt flakes and prepare for a new dessert obsession.
Ingredients In This Recipe
CRUST + TOPPING:
- Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and helps bind the crust and topping, also used in the caramel sauce for texture.
- Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and a molasses flavor in these Apple Pie Bars.
- Flour: Forms the structure of the crust and topping and thickens the apple mixture.
- Old-Fashioned Oats: Adds chewiness and a nutty flavor.
- Cinnamon, Salt, and Baking Soda Blend: Enhances flavors, aids in browning and rising, and adds warmth and spice.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances flavors in the crust, topping, and caramel.
FILLING:
- Peeled and Diced Apples: The main component of the filling.
- Lemon Juice: Prevents browning of apples and adds brightness.
- Apple Pie Spice: Complements the apple flavor.
- Caramels: Creates a gooey, sweet layer in the Apple Pie Bars filling.
- Heavy Cream: Smooths and enriches the caramel sauce.
How To Make Apple Pie Bars
- Prep: Preheat oven, line a pan with parchment, and melt butter.
- Mix Crumble: Combine cooled butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon-salt-baking soda blend, and vanilla. Split in half.
- Layer Crust: Press half the crumble mix into the pan.
- Prepare Apples: Toss diced apples with lemon juice, apple pie spice, and flour. Spread over crust.
- Caramel Sauce: Melt caramels with cream, stir in vanilla, and pour over apples.
- Top Layer: Sprinkle remaining crumble on top.
- Bake: Bake until edges brown. Cool for an hour.
Quick Tip
Don’t forget to line the pan with parchment paper; it makes a world of difference for removing Apple Pie Bars (and later on for clean-up)! Leave an overhang of parchment paper so you can pull the bars from the tray onto a counter to cut.
Storage
Can Apple Pie Bars Be Frozen?
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerate for longer freshness, up to a week.
- For freezing, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil; Apple Pie Bars can last up to 3 months. Thaw before serving.
More Apple Desserts
- Apple Cobbler
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake
- Caramel Apple Bar
- Healthy Apple Cake
- Apple Fritter Bread with a glaze
Apple Pie Bars
Equipment
- Sheet pan 9 x 13-inch
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 24 tablespoons unsalted butter 1-1/2 cups
- 1-1/2 cups light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling
- 3-1/2 cups apples I use a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice or extra cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 (4.51-ounce) bags soft caramels 13.5 ounces, see note 1
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sea salt for sprinkling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9 x 13-inch sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside. Melt butter in microwave and cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, from the “Crust and Topping” ingredients, mix melted and cooled butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt. Press half the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Peel, core, and chop apples into small, 1/4th-inch pieces. Place in a small bowl and toss with lemon juice. Coat with flour and apple pie spice. Spread apples over the unbaked bottom crust.
- Melt caramels with heavy cream in a medium pot over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and set aside to slightly cool and thicken. Drizzle and gently spread caramel over apples.
- Crumble and sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over caramel.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes until edges are lightly browned and the top looks set. Remove from oven and let stand at room temperature for at least an hour to set up. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Agree! No matter what the course. I repeat family requests though because how can I not?