Made with a shortbread crust, spiced apple filling, streusel topping, and homemade salted caramel, apple pie bars are just as delicious as apple pie, but much simpler to make. You’ll love this fun twist on a classic dessert!
Without a doubt, apple pie is my favorite dessert. I love the combination of sweet and tart spiced apples with the buttery, flaky pie crust. It’s cozy, comforting, and simply irresistible. I have the recipe memorized and make it year-round, not just at Thanksgiving. Today’s recipe is the bar version of my salted caramel apple pie (the first apple pie recipe I ever shared on my website!). While I love the pie making process, sometimes we don’t have hours to prepare a dessert, which is where apple pie BARS come in. No traditional pie crust, but same delicious flavors.
3 Layers to Love
- Shortbread Crust: The buttery shortbread crust is just like my favorite pie crust recipe, only easier. 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 quickly—no 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. Lots of streusel because the more streusel the better. 🙂
Best Apples for Apple Pie Bars
Whenever I make apple pie bars, apple pie, or even apple cake, I always use 2 different kinds of apples for more depth of flavor. (One sweet variety, one tart variety.)
Here are some I suggest:
- Sweet apples I love: Jazz, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, and Cortland
- Tart apples I love: Granny Smith, Braeburn, Jonathan, and Pacific Rose
Overview: How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Homemade apple pie bars are incredibly simple to make. There’s just a few steps before you have a delicious fall dessert on your hands!
- Make the shortbread crust. Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 inch pan.
- Bake the shortbread crust for 15 minutes.
- Make the apple pie filling.
- Make the streusel topping. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.
- 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 on the streusel topping.
- Bake. These bars take about 30-35 minutes, or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Chill the bars. Allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
- Cut into bars and drizzle with salted caramel.
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. My recipe for homemade salted caramel is liquid gold and dangerously good. Besides these apple pie bars, it’s delicious on ice cream, pancakes, with apple slices, and more– find 50 ways to eat salted caramel here.
Be warned: Once you start, you won’t be able to stop. I make a batch of salted caramel almost every week and see no problem with this!
One bite of these sweet and salty apple pie bars and you’ll wonder why you haven’t made them sooner!
More Apple Desserts
- Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake
- Apple Bundt Cake
- Deep Dish Apple Pie
- Caramel Apples
- Apple Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting
- Brown Butter Apple Blondies
- Apple Turnovers
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
Baking apple pie as bars is so much easier!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
Apple Filling
- 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)*
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel
- 1/2 cup (43g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. (As the crust bakes, you can prepare the filling and streusel.)
- Make the apple filling: Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Make the streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The bars will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Then, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving and drizzling with caramel.
- Apples: I like to use two different kinds of apples for a more complex flavor. I typically use 1 tart apple variety such as Granny Smith, and 1 sweeter apple variety such as Pink Lady. You’ll end up with about 3-4 cups. A little more or less is OK, based on your preference of filling.
- Larger Batch: Recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Pre-bake the crust for 18 minutes, then extend the bake time in step 5 to about 45-55 minutes.
Keywords: apple pie bars, salted caramel apple pie bars
Made these for our pumpkin carving party tonight! They were a huge hit and the salted caramel sauce was to die for!! Thanks for a great recipe!
OMG…just made these for work tomorrow and of course I had to try one for quality control. This recipe is a winner – mini apple pie bites!!
These are delicious! I made them a few weeks ago for a family get together and plan on making them again this weekend! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
It is almost midnight CST and I am patiently waiting for two delicious pans of these bars to come out of the oven. Fortunately, I have a coworker that over the last two months has brought me in apples from her trees. I stumbled upon this recipe and shared it at work, now everyone wants her apples and the recipe! I have made over a dozen pans since, it is a huge hit at work but an even bigger hit with my husband and my in-laws…one pan in the oven now for him and one for them. Terrific and tasty recipe, thank you and also for teaching me how to make delicious caramel.
Hi Sally!
I have been making this recipe this morning for an early Canadian Thanksgiving supper, and I used two large apples which were clearly not large enough, as I had enough for one layer and then a few extra slices on top. However, so far, everything is working amazingly well and Quality Control (ie ME tasting everything as I make it) says this is a winner!! Thank you so much!! This will be added to my regular baking repertoire for sure!!
These look amazing! Can you use QUICK cook oats in the streusel? Thanks!
Yes, you can use quick oats in the streusel topping.
Hi Sally! These look absolutely amazing, I can’t wait to try them!! I have a Question that may sound stupid, but:
How do I freeze them? And then what is required to serve them after freezing? Do they keep well?
I wanted to make them ahead and serve later to save time, but am nervous about how to do it correctly and keep them from being soggy or something.
Thanks so much in advance!!
Hi Holly! After they cool, I cut and layer them between sheets of parchment in a large tupperware. They keep well for 3 months- see my make-ahead tip in the recipe.
those are amazing!!! followed the recipe and had great results! thank you Sally!
P.S: i loooove the crust, can i use it in another tart recipe maybe?
Yes, definitely. I use this shortbread crust for my raspberry streusel bars as well.
These are SO good! Love the shortbread crust. I think next time I’ll try and squeeze in a little bit more apple. I will definitely be adding these to my holiday rotation!
absolutely love this recipe! Just made it for the 2nd time, once for a BBQ and this time as a treat to take to work. Love that it combines Apple pie and crumble and the salted caramel is to die for! I actually had enough for both times and still got one portion left in the fridge!
Ps. Thanks for the gram conversions! Saves so much time for me!
Hi Sally! Love your site. I made this yesterday and they are chilling in the fridge. What is your favorite way to serve them- warm or cold? Thinking of warning them up, what would your directions be on oven temp and cook time to reheat?
Thanks! Can’t wait!
I LOVE them warm!
300 degrees, 10 minutes. They’re perfect!
These are amazing. I have made them twice over the past year and brought them to my office. Everyone loves them!
I cooked it in an 8×8 pan and have not had any issues with the instructions provided.
I did skip on the caramel sauce and used store bought (and added in some vanilla ice cream on top). However, I plan on trying that recipe in the future.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It will be a must around Thanksgiving!
OMG Sally!!!!!!!! I have tried many, many of your recipes and I love them all…BUT…this one tops them all!!!! Personally, I think the salted caramel sauce is a MUST and just makes the dish. SO YUMMY!!!! Thank you so much for adding so much deliciousness to our lives!!! You ROCK!!
is it possible to substitute the rolled oats in the streusel topping with something else?
You can use your favorite chopped nut or simply leave them out.
So I tried your salted caramel yesterday…I was super nervous cause I burned a batch lately. I followed your recipe exactly and I had a perfect jar of salted caramel. I just tried this and this is SO GOOD as well. Thank you Sally for sharing these wonderful and amazing recipes. You’re the best!
These were seriously SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! I am totally a perfectionist baker, so I was baking five similar recipes side by side, tasting along (ho hum….) until I got to yours … just PERFECT and EXACTLY what I was looking for. The apple-y cinnamon-y flavors were wonderful. I tried them with and without caramel and it’s delicious either way. This is the second recipe I’ve tried of yours (1st: butterfinger peanut butter cheesecake) and both have been just amazing. I love the gram measurements too! I have one teensy suggestion and that’s to give a visual clue about when things are done, versus just the time – the crust, I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to look like because I divided the recipe by 4. But seriously, thank-you soooooooooo much for another awesome recipe! I’m spoiled from the recipes from cook’s illustrated and cook’s country always coming out as expected, so it’s lovely to have a blogger whose recipes I can also trust 100%! Will definitely be making these bars again!!!!!
Hi Sally!
Just wanted to say thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Myself and my 5 yr old daughter loved making these today
and eating them too! Heavenly! Plus we’ve got lots of sauce left
for ice cream, bonus!
Thanks for putting weight measurement too as we’re in the UK so
it’s much easier than converting cups!
Can’t wait to try some more of your recipes now! X
What a great success it was!! I was looking to make something and didn’t fancy a cake or pudding, but really wanted apple pie but couldn’t justify making it for 2 people! So this recipe hit the spot and I don’t feel like we have to eat the whole thing as I can freeze the rest, so thank you!
What type of salt do you recommend for the Salted Caramel Sauce? Thank you for the recipe!
I use regular table salt.
These babies are chilling in the fridge and looking forward to seeing how they came out! My husband LOVES apple pie so I wanted to try something more compact than a big pie! I just love your blog and have tried so many recipes and every time they do not disappoint! Now to wait another hour! Thanks for sharing!!
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving dessert. Everyone loved it. This will definitely be a keeper!
Do not hesitate to make these – they are absolutely divine! The crust, the apples, the sauce are all amazing! I will be making my second double-batch tonight for the teacher’s at my son’s elementary school tomorrow.
OMG – these are TO DIE FOR!! Honestly one of the best things I’ve ever made!! THANK YOU!!! My whole family went crazy…..either with or without the salted caramel
Oh yes, these bars with the sauce were a hit!! I followed the recipe exactly and both the bars & sauce turned out great. I did press the top layer a bit after reading other reviews. Will be making these again soon. Thank you Sally!
I made these bars for my coworkers yesterday, and they were annihilated by noon that day. Thanks for the fantastic recipe, Sally!
I just made these for Canadian Thanksgiving and AH-MAZING! I’m wondering if you could provide some pointers on how to cook the salted caramel for a Turtle type dessert (drop of chocolate, caramel & pecans) for Christmas. Boil longer?If so, how long? Thank you, as always for your wonderful recipes!
Hi Robyn. This salted caramel sauce is quite thick at room temperature (as opposed to spreading all over the place when warm). So, at room temperature, I feel it would be just fine in making turtle candies.
I’ve tried so many recipes from both your cookbook and your website – all which are lovely and successful – but I have to say that these are hands-down phenomenal. I don’t even like desserts, but these are truly amazing. They make wonderful gifts, and I can’t resist taking a bit for myself, too.
Thanks so much for sharing your genius with the rest of the world! This dessert is incredible. I’d highly recommend it.
I made this last night for a potluck at work, they were a hit! Love that they were easy to make. So yummy. I also made the salted caramel, wow!! Thank you so much for the recipe, I just wish I had taken a picture to share and make other drool! 🙂
This apple pie recipe is absolutely delicious!! As a personal preference, I always use granny smith and honeycrisp apples. The perfect combo of tart and sweet.
Thanks Sally, your photos are stunning!
I made these yesterday. My family raved about them! They are gone already. Thanks for the great recipe! 🙂