Caramel Apple Bars

24 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Caramel Apple Bars are the best ever easy fall dessert! Crumbly, chewy oat cookie crust and streusel surround sweet apple pie and buttery caramel filling.

These delicious Cookie Bars are like an Apple Crisp on the go. Just as easy to make and filled with fall flavor, this is the perfect apple dessert for a crowd!

Caramel Apple Bars on metal rack

CARAMEL APPLE BARS

Is there any fruit that says fall more than a crisp, juicy apple? From Caramel Apples to warm Apple Pie to a raw classic lunchbox snack, this versatile fruit is both healthy and delicious any way you serve it. And with these easy Caramel Apple Pie Bars, you can have all three treats at once!

The next time you are need a quick apple dessert, you need to try these Caramel Apple Bars! They are made with common pantry ingredients and any apples you have on hand. You’ll have these apple pie bars in and out of the oven, ready to eat, in an hour total time.

These tasty Caramel Apple Bars take all the flavors you love in apple pie and add a surprise layer of chewy, gooey caramel. One bite and you may never make a regular pie again. Did we mention they are crowd sized? They are the perfect fall dessert for parties, potlucks, bake sales, or pie on the go.

Bite taken out of Caramel Apple Bar

What kind of Apples do you use?

You can use any tart, firm baking apples that you use in other apple desserts. Granny Smith are a popular choice, but you can also use Golden Delicious, Jonagold, or sweet Honeycrisp Apples. This Caramel Apple Pie Bar recipe cuts peeled apples in chunks but try them sliced thin with skin for a pretty, layered look.

Caramel Apple Bars before streusel topping and baking

Caramel Apple Bars are so simple, with the crust and streusel topping made in at once in a large bowl in just minutes. The apple filling is just peeled apples tossed in flour and cinnamon, and that caramel layer is made in the microwave! It’s basically the world’s easiest (and tastiest) apple pie that kids can help make.

MORE APPLE DESSERT RECIPES

How to Serve these bars:

Caramel Apple Pie bars are sweet and chewy and delicious, especially warm and fresh from the oven. Let them cool before cutting so they don’t ooze out, or scoop the hot Apple Pie Bars like a cobbler and serve with Vanilla Ice Cream or Whipped Cream. For extra caramely goodness, drizzle your bars with Salted Caramel Sauce before serving.

Tray of Caramel Apple Bars after baking

VARIATIONS ON CARAMEL APPLE BARS

  • Fruit: You can use other fruit or berries instead of apples, or try a mixture of berries and apples. Blueberries, peaches, plums, or raspberries would all taste yummy in these bars!
  • Nuts: Instead of pecans, you can use almonds or walnuts. For extra nutty crunch, sprinkle larger chopped nuts over the streusel before baking.
  • Apple Cider: Add a tablespoon of apple cider when melting the caramel or toss the apples in apple cider for more fall flavor.

Caramel Apple Bar cut in half

  • Spices: In addition to cinnamon, add a teaspoon of nutmeg, ground clove, or cardamom. You could also replace the cinnamon with a tablespoon apple pie spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice.
  • Caramel: Skip making melted caramel sauce and use store bought caramel apple dip or caramel ice cream topping instead.
  • Shortbread Crust: For a more old-fashioned taste, make a shortbread crust by replacing the brown sugar with ½ cup white sugar and adding a teaspoon vanilla, and no rolled oats. Use part of the crust as a topping, or make a streusel with brown sugar, flour, oats, and melted butter.

MORE EASY PIES ON THE GO!

HOW TO STORE CARAMEL APPLE BARS

  • Serve: Caramel Apple Bars can be at room temperature for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Line the container with paper towels to absorb moisture.
  • Store: Refrigerate Caramel Apple Pie Bars for up to 1 week in a paper towel lined container. Bring to room temperature to soften the caramel before serving.
  • Freeze: Cut cooled bars before storing in a sealed container, with parchment paper between layers. Freeze Caramel Apple Bars for up to 6 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator to serve.

Stack of Caramel Apple Bars

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Caramel Apple Bars

Caramel Apple Bars are the best ever easy fall dessert! Crumbly, chewy oat cookie crust and streusel surround sweet apple pie and buttery caramel filling.
Yield 24 servings
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter , softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup pecans , finely chopped

Filling:

  • 4 cups granny smith apples (about 4 apples) , cored
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 11 ounces wrapped soft caramels , unwrapped
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking pan with baking spray.
  • Add butter and brown sugar to your stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Sift together flour, salt and baking soda then add into stand mixer on lowest speed setting.
  • Add in oats and pecans until just combined.
  • Remove two cups of the crumb mixture and set aside.
  • Press the remaining mixture into the baking pan and press down gently.
  • Toss apples with flour and cinnamon and add to the crust.
  • Add caramels and butter to a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave on half power in 30 second increments until smooth.
  • Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apple mixture.
  • Crumble the rest of the oat mixture over the caramel sauce.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crisp.
  • Let cool completely before slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

Caramel Apple Bars collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments