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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars Recipe

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4.8 from 655 reviews

These Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars combine tender spiced apples layered between a buttery oat crust and crumble topping. Finished with a luscious homemade salted caramel sauce drizzle, these bars offer the comforting flavors of apple pie in a convenient handheld dessert bar form, perfect for sharing or enjoying any time of year.

Ingredients

Scale

Apple Filling

  • 5 medium apples, sliced between 1/8″ and 1/4″ thick (744 grams)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (21 grams)
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed (73 grams)
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon (7 grams)
  • 3/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • Pinch of salt

Crust and Topping

  • 1 and 1/2 cups salted butter, melted (340 grams or 24 tbsp)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out (390 grams)
  • 2 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats (195 grams)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed (330 grams)
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup granulated sugar (210 grams)
  • 6 tbsp salted butter, cubed (85 grams)
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream (135 grams)
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

  1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with nonstick spray and line it with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang to lift out the bars easily for slicing later.
  2. Prep the Apple Filling: In a medium bowl, carefully toss the sliced apples with lemon juice, flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and a pinch of salt. Stir gently with a silicone spatula to combine without breaking the slices. Set aside.
  3. Make the Crust/Topping: In a large bowl, melt the salted butter. Add the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, light brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the melted butter, and stir until just combined to form a crumbly mixture.
  4. Assemble: Reserve 2 cups (about 330 grams) of the crust mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create the crust base. Give the apple mixture another stir, then spoon the apples evenly over the crust, leaving the excess liquid behind in the bowl. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the apple layer as the topping.
  5. Bake: Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 38 to 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. While they bake, prepare the salted caramel sauce. Once baked, transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool the bars for 1 to 2 hours before slicing.
  6. Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: Prepare the salted caramel sauce by melting granulated sugar in a saucepan until golden, then carefully stirring in cubed butter and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth and finish with a pinch of fine sea salt. Allow to cool slightly before using.
  7. Serve & Store: Slice the cooled bars and drizzle generously with the salted caramel sauce. Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, caramel covered or not. Store extra caramel sauce refrigerated in a sealed container as well.
  8. Make-Ahead Tips: The caramel sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated; warm gently in the microwave to loosen before serving. Bars can be prepared up to 1 day in advance; keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Enjoy bars warm, room temperature, or cold.

Notes

  • Use firm apples that hold their shape well when baked, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.
  • If you don’t have lemon juice, you can substitute with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to prevent browning.
  • Line the pan with parchment paper overhang to easily lift bars without breaking.
  • Let bars cool completely before slicing to get clean cuts.
  • Storing bars in the refrigerator helps keep the caramel sauce firm and bars fresh.
  • For a different twist, sprinkle chopped nuts on top before baking for extra crunch.

Keywords: salted caramel, apple pie bars, apple dessert, caramel apple bars, fall dessert, oat crust, homemade caramel

Find it online: https://ricoloranz.com/salted-caramel-apple-pie-bars-recipe/