Best Apple Crisp Bars
These apple crisp bars are made with a shortcrust base, topped with a spiced apple mixture, crumble topping and caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Shortbread crust
- 1 ¼ cups Flour
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Butter melted, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Apple filling
- 4 cups Apples thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- 4 tablespoon Granulated sugar
Crumble topping
- ½ cup Rolled oats
- ½ cup Flour
- ⅓ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 5 tablespoon Butter melted, unsalted
Instructions
- Prepare an 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper and preheat an oven to 180c (350f).
- Into a medium sized mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and mix with a spoon until combined.
- Add the melted butter and vanilla extract, then mix with a spoon until the mixture is uniform.
- Transfer the dough to a parchment paper lined 8 by 8 inch pan and spread an even layer using your clean hands or a spoon.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is lightly golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Peel, core, and cut the apples into thin slices. Into a large mixing bowl, add the apple slices, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, flour, and sugar. Mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Make the crumble! Into a small mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Add the melted butter and mix well.
- Top the baked shortbread crust with the apple mixture and spread an even layer of it with a spoon.
- Sprinkle the crumble on top. Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for about 40 minutes or until the apples are cooked through and the crumble topping is golden brown and crispy.
- Let it cool in the pan for at least an hour to prevent it from crumbling up. Drizzle with caramel sauce and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture.
- Use an apple corer and slicer to make this process easier and faster. I use this apple corer and slicer from Amazon and it is a lifesaver for making apple desserts and especially apple pies!
- Don't skip baking the crust first. This will ensure your crust will stay firm and not turn soggy.
- Choose the right apples. Opt for firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Their natural tartness balances the sweetness of the caramel sauce and complements the spices.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Be patient! I know it’s incredibly tempting to eat these bars as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these bars cool for at least 30 minutes so they will be firmer and won’t crumble up.
- Don't slice the apples too thinly, I recommend slicing them into medium thickness, because in the cooking process, they will shrink, and we want to feel the texture of the apples in every bite.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce last. Allow bars to cool slightly before drizzling caramel sauce over them so it doesn’t soak through too much but still adds that luscious sweetness on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 149mgPotassium: 68mgFiber: 2gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 306IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!