Made with a shortbread crust, spiced apple filling, streusel topping, and homemade salted caramel, these apple pie bars have all the flavors of classic apple pie in an easy-to-serve bar dessert.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since updated it with new photos and additional success tips. Based on reader feedback, I also increased the flour in the crust to help it hold its shape, extended the baking time, and adjusted the instructions so you make and refrigerate the streusel first, which helps it maintain its crumbly texture as it bakes.
Without a doubt, apple pie is my favorite dessert. I love the combination of sweet-tart spiced apples and buttery, flaky pie crust. But when Iโm craving those classic flavors without making an entire pie, I turn to todayโs dessert.
These salted caramel apple pie bars are an easier, more approachable version of salted caramel apple pie. Thereโs no traditional pie crust to prepare, but you still get plenty of tender spiced apples, buttery crust, and irresistible salted caramel in every bite.
Thatโs why Iโve created bar versions of several popular pies on my site, including pumpkin pie bars, cherry pie bars, and blueberry pie bars. You get all the familiar flavors of a homemade pie in an easier-to-make (and easier-to-serve) dessert.
3 Layers to Love
These apple pie bars have a buttery shortbread crust, tender cinnamon-spiced apples, and a crisp brown sugar oat streusel with a drizzle of salty-sweet caramel. They taste like apple pie, but with a softer, more crumbly bar-cookie texture.
- Shortbread Crust: The buttery shortbread crust is much easier to make than a traditional pie crust. It’s simply perfect as the base layer for all your favorite bar desserts. I actually use the same shortbread crust in my recipe for raspberry streusel bars and double the recipe for my lemon bars. It comes together quicklyโno waiting for pie dough to chill.
- Apple Pie Filling: No canned filling here. You only need 5 ingredients to make your own apple pie filling, and it tastes incredible!
- Streusel Topping: Instead of a top layer of pie crust like you see on traditional apple pies, we’re topping these apple pie bars with streusel. It’s a scaled-up version of the topping on our caramel apple cheesecake pie.
Here is everything you’ll need:
Overview: How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
There are just a few steps before you have a delicious fall dessert on your hands!
Make the streusel topping first. I like to make the streusel topping first so it can chill in the refrigerator while I prepare the crust and filling. Keeping the butter cold helps the streusel hold its shape in the oven instead of melting into the bars. I do the same when making chocolate marble pumpkin bread.
The mixture will be crumbly and coarse:
Make the shortbread crust. Melted butter makes the crust especially easy to prepare and press into the pan. I also find that it produces a wonderfully soft yet sturdy base, which is ideal to support all those heavy apples!
An 8-inch square baking pan works best for these bars. Be sure to line it with parchment paper so you can easily lift the entire batch from the pan before slicing. If you need a recommendation, I use and love this baking pan and this baking pan (pictured).
As the crust pre-bakes, prep the apple pie filling. No need to pre-cook the filling on the stove; you can layer it right on top of the warm crust.
Peel the apples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss with flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg:
What Are the Best Apples for Apple Pie Bars?
Use a firm apple that holds its shape when cooked. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or a combination all work well. If youโre interested in learning more, see my guide to the best apples for baking.
Layer the apple pie filling evenly on top of the crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the apples, and then bake.
Chilling is important: Allow the bars to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then transfer the bars to the refrigerator. For the cleanest slices, refrigerate the bars for at least 2 hours.
Cut into bars and drizzle with salted caramel sauce. I like to add a little sprinkle of sea salt flakes on top, too, but that’s completely optional.
Salted Caramel Topping
A generous drizzle of salted caramel takes these incredible apple pie bars to a whole new level. Have you ever made salted caramel before? You must. Besides topping these apple pie bars, itโs delicious over ice cream or pancakes, served with apple slices, and so much more. Find 50 ways to eat salted caramel here.
Absolutely. Homemade salted caramel is fantastic, but your favorite store-bought caramel sauce works well here, too. Add the caramel right before or after cutting into bars.
Yes! The recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan. Pre-bake the crust for 18 minutes, then extend the bake time to 45โ55 minutes.
You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. See freezing instructions in the recipe Notes section below.
One bite of these sweet and slightly salty apple pie bars and you’ll wonder why you haven’t made them sooner. They are a forever favorite!
Here is the salted caramel sauce recipe.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: 12-16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with a shortbread crust, spiced apple filling, streusel topping, and homemade salted caramel, these apple pie bars have all the flavors of classic apple pie in an easy-to-serve bar dessert.
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 pure vanilla extract
- 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
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Garnish
- homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce
- optional: flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ยฐF (149ยฐC). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- Make the streusel first: In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Place in the refrigerator until step 6.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and mix until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling.
- Make the apple filling: In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
- After you remove the crust from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Pour the apple filling on top of the warm crust and spread/press into an even layer. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the cold streusel evenly on top.
- Bake for 30โ35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours.
- Lift the bars out of the pan by gripping the parchment paper overhang; transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares. Drizzle caramel sauce on top and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using.
- These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, cold, or at room temperature. Store covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze the bars (without the caramel sauce drizzle) for up to 3 months. Layer them in an airtight freezer-safe container or bag with parchment paper between the layers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them up to your liking and drizzle with salted caramel sauce to serve.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Apple Peeler | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Pastry Blender
- Apples: I like to use two different kinds of apples for the best texture and depth of flavor. I typically use one tart apple variety such as Granny Smith, and one sweet apple variety such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp.
- Larger Batch: Recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan. Pre-bake the crust for 18 minutes (step 3), then extend the bake time to 45โ55 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These came out beautifully. They look exactly like the picture! The shortbread is perfectly short, it holds together and crumbles when you bite. The apples are wonderfully jammy, and the streusel is a generous quantity with lots of chewy texture. It’s an excellent recipe and made it so easy. However, they are far too sweet for me. Even without the salted caramel sauce (which is DIVINE), they are very sweet indeed. So I will give these away, minus the caramel sauce, which I will keep for myself to eat with apple slices. But I enjoyed the process, got a perfect result, and my house smells wonderful.
Oh, and the caramel came out perfect on the first try! I usually have to make two attempts at caramel, lol.
Sally does it again!! These were SO DELICIOUS. Perfect for fall. I used store bought caramel sauce, saved me time and itโs only a little drizzle. Thanks for the great recipe.
These are FAB and well worth making the salted caramel sauce. Brought them to a church fellowship lunch and they got devoured. I tripled the crust and filling to do a 1/2 sheet cake pan size. Just did double the crumble for it and it worked lovely. Thanks for knocking it out of the park again, Sally.
Perfection, made these exactly as written with the salted caramel sauce.
I made these this morning and they turned out fantastic! I didnโt quite have the amount of apples the recipe called for but the recipe still turned out great. Opted out of the caramel sauce, sweet enough for me without. But the touch of flaky salt perfection.
Hi can use quick oats in place of whole rolled oats
Hi Fran, we only suggest old fashioned whole oats for their big chunky and chewy texture. That being said, you can sub a thinner oat like quick oats if youโd like
These were a hit!
Is it necessary to keep bars refrigerated after they have been cooled and cut into bars? Do you drizzle carmel to entire batch of bars , or only at serving time?
Great recipe! Just bought your cookbook, and love it!
Hi Carol, chilling them in the refrigerator will help them to set so that they can be cut neatly into bars. They can be stored at room temperature for a few hours, but we recommend that they are stored in the fridge for longer than that. Enjoy!
I made these for a neighborhood picnic – they were a huge hit!
I was extremely disappointed. I followed the recipes step by step. I made a double batch. It was so hard on the top that I had to pick off the pebblish streusel in order to be able to chew it. I will never use this recipe again
Hi Janet, so sorry this didn’t turn out for you. Was it over-baked? Did your streusel mixture look like the photos in the post above? How strange that the streusel would get so hard.
These bars were so delicious!
Made this recipe for the first time for sophomore grandson @ Dartmouth for his soccer team which my son & I traveled to Durham, NH to see. Was told they were a huge hit on bus return to Hanover. No doubt they brought on a major sugar rush!
I followed instructions scrupulously, making a double recipe in the 9×13 pan. Would have made recipe for my 10×14 Pyrex, however, stymied about how many times I should go! Also, stepped out of comfort zone & made salted caramel sauce, in lieu of store bought, which was addictive! As you said, make by single batch. I made a second recipe since the bars were doubled. Maybe it was overkill, but for this crowd, it seemed to be well received!
One recommendation I offer: found it unnecessary to refrigerate streusel & proceed to next step. I roiled it into a ball. When ready to apply I was challenged to break apart into clumps to spread over the apples.
Could I swap nuts for oats in the streusel recipe?
Hi Jem, you can try replacing the oats with nuts.
The topping was not crispy
Made for a party – everyone loved these! Great recipe.
Made these apple pie bars today for a friendโs birthday who prefers pie over cake. Iโve made them several times as written and theyโre always a hit!
Unfortunately, I had to skip the homemade salted caramel sauce today, but Sallyโs recipe is so worth it and her instructions make it so easy.
This recipe is perfect. I usually follow the directions the first time then make adjustments the next, but I make this every year exactly how the recipe says! So good, everyone loves it! This is my favorite part of Apple Picking Season. โค๏ธ๐
I made these two years ago and I still think about them often. I will be making them again sometime in the next two weeks and I cannot wait.
Good Morning ~ I came across this recipe & would love to try. I prefer my 9×9 pan. Can I just adjust the cooking time for the larger pan or do you suggest I purchase an 8×8. Thank you
Hi Andrea, An 8-inch square baking pan works best for these bars. A 9-inch pan could work in a pinch, but the bars will be thinner and may not stay together as well. Alternatively, you could double the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan. See recipe Notes for baking details. Enjoy!