Apple Pie Bars
These are the best apple pie bars you'll sink your teeth into this fall. These apple pie bars contain a buttery, flaky double-crust, with a cinnamony apple filling. The most irresistible salted caramel is drizzled over the dessert for a delicious finale.
Servings: 20 bars
Ingredients
For Double Crust:
- 2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ⅔ cup salted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- 1-2 tablespoons water, ice cold
For Filling:
- 6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- caramel sauce, homemade or store-bought, for topping
Optional Easy Icing:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F with rack on lower middle position. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for dough except for the butter. Stir to combine well. Use clean hands or a pastry cutter to work in the cold pieces of butter, until dough comes together to form a ball - small bits of visible butter in the dough is good. If is too dry, add 1-2 TB of ice cold water to dough so that it forms a ball.
- Divide dough into 1 smaller half and 1 larger half. Wrap up smaller half and place in fridge. Lightly flour a large working surface and roll out the larger half as evenly as you can, to fit the bottom and up the sides of a 9x13 pan. Press dough into bottom and sides of pan.
- Make the filling: combine the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon, tossing to incorporate. Evenly spread filling on top of bottom crust in pan. Roll out the smaller half of dough the same way as before, trying to roll it out as evenly and thinly as possible to fit the rectangular pan.
- Place top crust over the apple slices. Seal the bottom and top crust together by pinching the together edges all around. It's ok if it's not perfect; just try to seal it together as much as you can. Make 1" long slits across top crust to allow steam to escape.
- Bake 50-60 minutes or until top crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Let cool completely on wire rack, uncovered. When dessert is cool, drizzle with desired amount of salted caramel sauce.
- For optional icing: Mix powdered sugar and milk. Drizzle on top of cooled bars. Slice into squares and serve.
Notes
- Use cold, cubed butter when making the crust. It creates flaky layers and gives the bars that classic pie texture.
- Roll the dough thinly and evenly to fully cover both the bottom and top of the pan. A light dusting of flour helps prevent sticking.
- Choose Granny Smith apples for the filling. They hold their shape well and add a tart balance to the sweet caramel topping.
- Toss the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon right before assembling to prevent them from releasing too much juice too early.
- Cut slits across the top crust before baking. This lets steam escape and helps the top bake up crisp and golden.
- Let the bars cool completely before slicing. This allows the filling to set and gives you clean, sturdy slices.
- Drizzle with homemade salted caramel for the best flavor. You can make it days ahead and warm it slightly before using. Alternatively, you can also use store-bought caramel sauce in a pinch.
- Skip the icing if you’re short on time, but don’t skip the caramel. It’s the finishing touch that makes these bars shine.
- Apple pie bars can keep for up to 2 days at moderate room temp, covered.
- This recipe is part of our Apple Recipes Collection.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 234IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg