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
Oh my gosh these are awesome. I am not usually a baker, but these were easy to do and everyone loved it. Exxxxxcellent!
★★★★★
Followed the directions for a double batch but added chopped toasted pecans to the crumble and skipped the caramel sauce. I left it in the fridge overnight before slicing. They turned out perfect! Can’t wait to make these bars again.
★★★★★
Sally! I have been eyeing this recipe for at least a year! I have a bag of Hersheys Salted Caramel Chips that I need to use up. Do you think I could throw these chips in? If yes, how much and which step would I mix it in with?
Thank you soo much!
A loyal follower,
Nadia
Hi Nadia! While you could try adding the chips to the top of the bars, we haven’t tested it and are unsure of the results. They could be delicious in these chocolate cookies, our chewy chocolate chip cookies, or even our oatmeal cookies – in the place of chocolate chips. Let us know what you try!
I doubled the recipe and made some for my family and a batch for my co-workers. It was a huge hit all around. It’s now in my recipe book and I am using it this weekend for our Christmas Bake Exchange (10 batches). Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Made these for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them. The crust is the absolute best. Will definitely make again and will be finding other recipes to use that crust on.
★★★★★
This looks amazing, but do the apples come out crisp in this recipe or are they soft? I don’t like my baked apples to have any crunch to them at all so I’m wondering if I should pre-cook them
Hi Miranda, They will get pretty soft, especially if you slice them thin.
Hi! Thanks for this! I would like to serve these warm. How do you recommend heating them after they have been in the fridge for a long time? Thanks!
This is one of my all time
Favorite recipes! Question – last time I made it – it turned very watery? Not sure what happened but any ideas? It was still yummy- just soggy and didn’t last more than a day….
★★★★★
Hi Kelly, a soggy bar could be caused by under-baking – an easy fix for next time!
Wonderful Dessert!
Hi Sally!
I love your recipes! In fact I’ve made this particular recipe a number of times, and consistently receive great feedback and many thanks for making it again.
My question: I saw your apple slab pie recipe w/maple icing. Do you think the maple icing would work here instead of the caramel sauce?
Thanks!
Happy Thanksgiving
★★★★★
Hi Lisa! So glad you love these bars, they’re definitely a favorite. The maple icing would be delicious here – let us know if you give it a try 🙂
Thank you so much for responding so quickly! I most definitely will let you all know how it went. They’re in the oven right now baking. We’ll have them tonight after dinner (but will sneak a bite before so I can report back -lol).
Thank you again! You guys are awesome…you always respond and are so helpful!
★★★★★
Hi Sally & Team!
Want to let you know I thought I sent in this review earlier, but I must have pressed an incorrect “button!@..Anyway!
I wrote in yesterday w/the question about using the MAPLE ICING shown w/the Slab Pie-if you thought it would go well w/the apple bar cookies? And you said it would. I’m here to report back you are correct (not a surprise ).
I’ve made these bar cookies several times w/the caramel sauce (your recipe), and everyone thoroughly enjoys it! I wanted to try something different so the maple icing sounded good and it is!!! I also added chopped walnuts to the streusel topping. We had these for dessert last evening-So,so good!!!
Thank you for your continued inspiration through this crazy time in our world. Your site makes my heart and soul smile.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
★★★★★
So happy to hear that they turned out, Lisa! Thank you for reporting back and Happy Thanksgiving to you too 🙂
Are these best served slightly warm? Wondering about preparing in advance. Thinking may keep it unassembled and bake mid-day for post Thanksgiving dinner.
Hi Cristin! These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold. They’re great any way!
I just made these and they’re amazing! Just the right amount of sweetness.I did double the recipe and baked it in a 13×9 pan. I’m not sure if my oven wasn’t running hot enough, but I think I’ll need to bake the crust a few extra minutes next time.
Excited to bring these to Thanksgiving! Thanks for the recipe!
Planning on making this tomorrow but have a question. The recipe says 2 lg apples but in the notes it says you’ll end out with 3-4 cups, from 2 apples? Should I just add enough apples to get to 3-4 cups?
Hi Anne! Yes, 3-4 cups is how much you’ll need. Two large apples should get you there, but you’ll need more smaller apples!
Made these again and they came out great! Any info on the calorie count?
Hi Bunny, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Thai was amazing! All your recipes are excellent.
★★★★★
This is the best recipe!! Every time I make these, everyone raves about them. They are one of my go-to desserts for any event.
Great recipe! I finally made these today, and they were delicious! Perfect for Halloween!
I will be sure to try it with oats next time (since I didn’t have any, I just did the streusel without it.). It was still good!
Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
I discovered as I was mid-recipe that we were bereft of old fashioned oats. What to do for the streusel?
Fortunately we had some pumpkin seed granola, which I used instead. I combined it with the cold butter ( no need for sugar since the pumpkin granola is already sweet).
Wow! Brilliant! Crunchiness! Tastiness!
★★★★★
These. Are. Delicious. The caramel sauce is epic.I will definitely be making these again very soon.
★★★★★
One more question. Would you recommend to pre-bake the shortbread crust on the bottom half of the oven (I’ve heard that’s the best way to do it)? Also, after the apples and streusel topping are added, on which shelf of the oven should it be baked (middle, bottom, top of oven etc.)?
Thanks!
Hi Marlena, we bake both the crust and the full bars on the middle rack. If you find your oven runs a bit hot and the bars are browning too quickly, feel free to use a lower rack and know that they may take a bit longer to bake.
This looks like a great recipe! I made my salted caramel sauce today, and soon, I will make this recipe! I have a question. For the shortbread crust, would you recommend to prick the bottom with a fork and then chilling it before baking it? Also, how do you know when the crust is done pre-baking (I know it says “15 minutes” in the recipe, but what are some other indicators I can use to see if it is done)?
Thanks!
Hi Marlena, we don’t find it necessary to prick the shortbread crust or chill it before baking, although you can if you prefer. The crust will look like it is beginning to bake…it should be browning ever so slightly. It will continue to bake once the apples and crumble are added!
Followed instructions but apples didn’t cook
I figured they would have broken down with some juice like an apple pie
What did I do wrong
Hi Bunny, how thick were your apples sliced? We recommend 1/4 inch thickness so that they can cook through in the bars. They should slightly soften during cook time.
Apples were cut thin but after baking they looked like dried apples. Tasted great anyway! Can I double the crust, it seemed thin. How much longer to bake if I do
Hi Sally, haven’t actually made these yet I do plan to. I did however use your short bread crust for your easy cheesecake recipe, since I didn’t have graham crackers I thought why not. Turned out very good. Will definitely make again . Thanks for all you do.
I’ve made these with and without the caramel sauce and they’re delicious both ways. Love how easy they are to make, definitely going to be making them regularly!
★★★★★
These are so delicious! They were a hit with my family. Only question, has anyone made these vegan friendly? Please share your thoughts or substitutions. I wanted to make these again for a different occasion, but I have a family member who is vegan. Would love any input 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Katerina, We’re so glad you and your family loved these! We haven’t made the apple pie bars with vegan butter, but you can certainly try!
Hey Katerina, I made this recipe using vegan butter and it turned out great! I did not make any other substitutions since there’s no egg or milk, etc in the recipe. however, I did not make the salted caramel topping, so I can’t speak to how that would be using vegan butter and vegan cream 🙂 Hope this helps you.
Hi Katerina,
I made them several times vegan and they were delicious. Used vegan butter (don‘t use magarine). Also made many recipes here which were not vegan, just replaced the eggs with soy flour ( 1 egg = 1 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp Water mixed) 🙂
★★★★★
As a long time experienced baker, one of my family’s and friends’ favourite desserts is your salted caramel apple pie..
It’s legendary!
So I’m going to make these bars as well
★★★★★
Has anyone tried this with gluten free flour?
I was thinking of making these for a bake sale. Would the caramel make them too messy to package for individual bars at a bake sale?
Yes…Bob Mills 1 to 1 and it was perfect
Yes, I made last year using Bob’s Red Mill one for one GF flour. Worked great.
These are FABULOUS! A huge hit with everyone…and an easy-to-follow recipe, as all of yours are Sally!
★★★★★
I love this recipe and have made it several times. BUT, the bars always seem soggy the day after. What can I do to prevent this?
★★★★★
Hi Leigh, did you pre-bake the crust for 15 minutes? A slightly longer pre-bake should help for next time!
I plan to make 2 pans of these bars. Is one recipe of the caramel enough to top both pans? Thanks!
Hi Barbara, it really depends on how much caramel you want to drizzle over the top. It should be enough for a light drizzle over both pans. Enjoy!
This recipe is fantastic!! I am making it for the second time. I have apples I need to use up and this is a great and easy recipe.
★★★★★
Made these for the family were huge hit will make again Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and great tips .
★★★★★