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 I’m craving those classic flavors without making an entire pie, I turn to today’s dessert.
These salted caramel apple pie bars are an easier, more approachable version of salted caramel apple pie. There’s no traditional pie crust to prepare, but you still get plenty of tender spiced apples, buttery crust, and irresistible salted caramel in every bite.
That’s why I’ve 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 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.
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 you’re 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, it’s 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 45–55 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 300°F (149°C). 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 350°F (177°C).
- 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 30–35 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 45–55 minutes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Delicious! I will definitely make again in the near futute. Thanks for sharing.
I doubled these and added in an extra apple. They were delicious and a great way to get the apple pie flavor without all the work of making a full apple pie. I’ve always been intimidated by making caramel but this salted caramel is totally do-able and so delicious. Way better than store bought! Totally recommend these and would definitely make them again. Thanks Sally! I can always come to your site and be guaranteed delicious results.
Oh my goodness were these good. Double the recipe and baked in 9×13 in pan. Took them for the church pot luck and had many recipe requests. The only thing I would do different is prebake the crust a big longer since my apples were juicy. The caramel sauce was amazing. So worth it to make homemade. Recipe was simple and easy to follow. Since I baked them the morning of the pot luck they were still slightly warm when we ate them.
i made these for a friends fall wedding and everyone loved them!
These are simply amazing!
Making these this weekend. My whole being responded to the photo and the recipe.
I am a caramel crazed human being. And anything caramel-apple sings to me.
Oh wow, these are good. We picked apples last week and have tons, so I was on the hunt for new recipes. This is IT! Thank you. I drizzled with Trader Joe’s Salted Caramel from a jar because it’s just my favorite thing and was one less step to make. Yum!
I made these apple bars today to take to my sons home.. they absolutely loved them!!!
I made the caramel, so easy and definitely addictive..
i doubled the batch, gave some to my good friends and have a few left over for moi
I made these bars for a staff meeting and as an icebreaker we all had to say what our favorite food was. Two of my coworkers said their favorite food was these bars. Enough said 😉
Decided to make these this afternoon since I had some apples that needed to be used up. These bars are really good even without the caramel. I LOVE salted caramel but heavy cream not something I normally keep in the house at all times. I can only imagine how addictive these are WITH the caramel! Next time I will plan ahead and buy the heavy cream and try this the way its supposed to be lol
Absolutely AMAZING! I used half Granny Smith and half gala apples… Have never made homemade caramel before and the salted caramel is to die for. And the apple pie bars are delicious! Keeping this recipe for sure 🙂 thank you so much for sharing and for making the instructions easy to follow. This stuff should be illegal it’s THAT GOOD!
Hi,
I’m very excited to try this recipe in a few days for a fundraising bake sale. I’m trying to plan out my baking schedule and was curious if you knew if I could make these the night before? I don’t want them to get soggy. Any help on timing would be much appreciated.
You can make them the night before. I would pour the caramel on top before bringing to the sale.
Those are fantastic! I just made them and taste tested! I didn’t have cream, so I melted some Kraft Caramels for on top. Will definitely make again!
LOVE this recipe!!!! Just won the work “bake-off”…..I feel kind of guilty, like I should ship my prize to you! Such a great go-to recipe. Thanks again!!
Still my all time favorite recipe from your website. So few ingredients and turns out amazing every single time. Thanks again, Sally! 🙂
These bars are DELICIOUS!!! A nice alternative to apple pie and my family gobbled them up. Highly recommend!
I made some salted caramel sauce a while back with plans of making these bars the next day. The sauce was amazing!! I put off making the bars for a while and the sauce mysteriously “vanished”! Now that summer is here, I’d like to try this. I’m not clear on how to drizzle the sauce? Sorry, total amateur here. Should I dip a fork in the sauce and drip it across the bars? Or use a spoon and just dribble some on?
It’s ok! I just use a spoon or fork– pick up a little caramel– and drizzle it all over the top. Very easy!
Made these and they are amazing ! Thanks, didn’t need to change anything in it, I did add extra apples just because I love them and did take your advise and used two types as I like tart & sweet tart crispy types both & did double the recipe. definitely a hit and so easy!
These are really delicious! They were a big hit at the church potluck and I told everyone where to find the recipe. Also, the recipe was written well and very easy to follow. Thank you so much for sharing it, I’m going to check out more of your recipes. Thanks again!
I made these today instead of my usual apple pie and they were a huge hit with my boys and husband! I loved the caramel sauce! Yum! Glad I have found another yummy apple recipe!
Just made these with your Salted Caramel recipe, they turned out absolutely amazing! I will definitely be making a larger batch soon!! xx
This is an absolute winner. I made them, brought a pan over to my ex husband’s and he asked me to make himself, mother and brother another pan…one for each!
Hi Sally, I’m planning to make these for Thanksgiving this week! One question – can I skip the parchment paper and just serve them out of the pan? Thanks for the recipe!
They’re tricky to cut neatly right out of the pan. Best to use parchment to lift the entire pan of bars out all together and then simply slice into bars.
These are absolutely incredible. I made these last thanksgiving and the whole tray disappeared within several minutes of them being brought out. I’ve decided to make them for thanksgiving again this year since they were a huge hit last year; a total keeper!
These look amazing! I just told my husband I’m making these for Thanksgiving instead of apple pie.
These bars are fantastic! I doubled the recipe and they turned out great. The drizzle of salted caramel really put them over the top. Perfect fall dessert 🙂
I made these last night as a “test batch” for next week’s office holiday bakeoff. I’m TOTALLY going to win. They were a HUGE hit with my friends. I followed the recipe for both the bars and the caramel almost exactly. I used 2 fuji apples because they were the freshest at the market, but when I make my “official” batch next week,I’ll follow one of the suggestions to do 1 sweet + 1 tart apple (like granny smith).
Literally one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. I made these for a Royals World Series watch party in KC and everyone is still talking about them and how delicious they were! These will be my go-to holiday party treat for sure!! Thank you for the recipe!!
This is ridiculously good! I made them for my husband to take into bible study but that will not be happening. 🙂 they are too good!
These are awesome! Made a double batch last week, making another double batch today and expect that they will be devoured very quickly . . . Thank you!