Caramel Apple Dream Bars

Indulge in the ultimate fall dessert with these exquisite **Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars**, a delightful fusion of three beloved classics: the comforting familiarity of apple pie, the rustic charm of apple crumble, and the irresistible buttery richness of shortbread cookie bars. This recipe promises a dessert experience that is not only incredibly satisfying but also surprisingly simple to create, utilizing just one versatile shortbread dough and a straightforward apple filling. Get ready to impress your taste buds, and remember, when it comes to the luscious salted caramel sauce, generosity is key!

Each bar offers a symphony of textures and flavors. The foundation is a golden, tender shortbread crust, reminiscent of a classic apple pie crust, providing a perfect contrast to the vibrant apple filling. Above it, a generous layer of tender, cinnamon-spiced apples infused with gooey salted caramel sauce creates a sweet and tangy heart. Crowning this masterpiece is a crunchy, oat-studded crumble topping, adding that signature chewy texture found in the best apple crumbles. The secret to its simplicity? Both the base and the crumble topping are crafted from the same adaptable brown sugar shortbread dough, saving you time and effort in the kitchen. And for serving, be sure to have extra of that irresistible caramel sauce on hand to drizzle over each bar, elevating every bite to pure bliss.

If you’re a fan of apple desserts, you’ll also adore our apple frangipane tart, these charming apple pie cupcakes, and the utterly delicious apple crumble tart. Planning for a special occasion like Thanksgiving? Explore our curated collection of Thanksgiving desserts that aren’t pie for more inspiring ideas!

This beloved recipe was originally shared on September 25th, 2018, and has since been thoughtfully updated with an even more simplified and utterly delicious version, accompanied by clearer, more helpful images to guide you through every step.

For precise measurements and detailed instructions, please jump straight to the recipe card below.

• Apples: The choice of apples is crucial for the perfect balance of flavor and texture. While tart Granny Smith apples are a classic for baking due to their ability to hold shape and provide a tangy counterpoint, I highly recommend incorporating a sweeter variety, such as Royal Gala, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady, for a more complex and nuanced flavor profile. This combination ensures a filling that’s both sweet and tart, with apples that remain tender but not mushy. Consider varieties like Jonathan or Braeburn for other excellent tart options.
• Salted Caramel Sauce: This ingredient is the star! While store-bought caramel sauce is a convenient option, crafting your own homemade salted caramel sauce is incredibly rewarding. It’s surprisingly easy, more affordable, and allows you to control the depth of flavor and saltiness, ensuring that perfect sweet and salty harmony these bars are famous for. A generous amount of good quality caramel transforms these into an unforgettable treat.
• Flour: Standard plain flour (or all-purpose flour) is all you need for the rich, buttery shortbread crust and crumble topping. It provides the essential structure that holds these delicious bars together.
• Butter: For the best shortbread, unsalted butter is preferable as it gives you complete control over the salt content, especially with the added salted caramel. If you only have salted butter on hand, simply omit the additional salt listed in the recipe. The recipe cleverly uses butter in two forms: cold butter cut into the dry ingredients for a crumbly, tender texture in the base and topping, and a touch of melted butter to help bring the dough together.
• Sugar: A blend of white granulated sugar and light brown sugar provides the perfect sweetness and contributes to the golden color and tender crumb of the shortbread. The brown sugar also adds a subtle molasses note that complements the caramel and apples beautifully.
• Oats: Old-fashioned rolled oats are added to the crumble layer, creating that characteristic chewy texture and rustic appearance. If you prefer a finer crumb, or don’t have oats, you can simply omit them without significantly impacting the flavor.
• Spices: A warm blend of ground cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg are the quintessential “cozy” spices that perfectly complement apples and caramel. They infuse the bars with an inviting aroma and flavor, making them ideal for any season, especially fall.

For an extra layer of crunch and flavor, consider adding some chopped nuts to the crumble topping. Toasted pecans or walnuts would be absolutely divine, adding another dimension of texture and richness to these already fabulous caramel apple bars!

How to Make Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars: Step-by-Step

Crafting these delectable salted caramel apple crumble bars is a surprisingly simple process, despite their impressive three-layer structure. The genius lies in utilizing a single brown sugar shortbread dough for both the buttery base and the irresistible crumble topping. The middle layer, bursting with flavor, is a quick mix of thinly sliced apples, aromatic spices, and a generous pour of salted caramel sauce.

You won’t need any specialized kitchen gadgets here! A simple mixing bowl and a reliable baking tin are your main tools. While a pastry blender can certainly make incorporating the butter a breeze, your fingertips work just as well, giving you a tactile feel for the perfect crumbly texture.

Ready to bake? Head straight to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

1. Prepare the Dry Ingredients

Begin by whisking together the flour, both types of sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Ensuring these dry ingredients are thoroughly combined now will guarantee even flavor distribution throughout your shortbread dough.

2. Incorporate the Butter for the Shortbread

The key to a tender, crumbly shortbread lies in how you add the butter. First, using the larger holes of a box grater, grate the chilled butter directly into your dry mixture. Then, gently work it into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This method prevents overworking the dough and creates pockets of butter that will yield a wonderfully flaky texture.

Next, pour in the slightly cooled melted butter and stir it in with a spatula, then gently use your hands to fully incorporate. The mixture will still be crumbly, but it should hold together when squeezed, indicating it’s ready. This small amount of melted butter helps bind the dough without developing too much gluten, ensuring a tender finish.

3. Pre-bake the Shortbread Base

Take two-thirds of your prepared shortbread dough and firmly press it into an even layer at the bottom of a lined 8-inch square baking pan. This forms the sturdy and delicious base of your apple pie bars. Pre-baking the crust for 15 minutes helps to set it, ensuring it stays beautifully crisp even with the moist apple filling added later.

4. Prepare the Flavorful Apple Filling

While the shortbread base is baking, turn your attention to the irresistible apple filling. Peel, core, and thinly slice your apples evenly (about ⅛ inch thick) to ensure they cook consistently and become perfectly tender. In a bowl, toss the sliced apples with brown sugar, flour (which helps absorb excess moisture and thickens the filling), and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. The flour is essential for preventing a watery filling, creating that classic apple pie consistency. At this stage, mix the rolled oats into the remaining one-third of the shortbread dough; this will form your delicious, chewy crumble topping.

5. Assemble and Bake to Golden Perfection

Once your shortbread base emerges from the oven, it’s time to assemble! Carefully arrange the spiced apple slices evenly over the warm crust, trying to minimize large gaps for consistent layers. Drizzle a generous amount of your rich salted caramel sauce directly over the apples. Finally, scatter the oat-infused streusel topping over the apple and caramel layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the crumble topping is beautifully golden brown and the apples underneath are perfectly tender with just a slight bite, easily tested with a toothpick.

How to Serve Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

These versatile salted caramel apple bars are absolutely delightful served in a variety of ways, making them perfect for any occasion. Whether you enjoy them cold, at room temperature, or warmed, each presentation offers a unique experience. My personal favorite is serving them warm, as the heat truly brings out the cozy cinnamon and apple flavors, softening the caramel to a wonderfully gooey consistency.

To truly elevate the experience, always remember to generously drizzle extra warmed salted caramel sauce over each bar just before serving. This not only enhances the flavor but also adds a beautiful, glossy finish. These delicious caramel apple bars are wonderfully complemented by:

• A dollop of freshly whipped cream, providing a light and airy contrast to the rich bars.
• A scoop of classic vanilla ice cream, which slowly melts into the warm bars, creating an irresistible dessert.
• A luscious drizzle of runny custard or crème anglaise – this is my top recommendation for an extra touch of elegance and creamy texture.

With their easy-to-make crumble topping, tender spiced apple center, and the irresistible allure of salted caramel, these bars are more than just a dessert; they are a comforting embrace in every bite. They’re the ideal easy, comforting dessert for a casual weeknight treat, a festive holiday gathering, or a delightful potluck contribution.

Storage Tips for Your Apple Pie Bars

To keep any leftover salted caramel apple pie bars fresh and delicious, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This helps maintain their moisture and prevents them from drying out.

When you’re ready to enjoy them again, there are a couple of excellent options for reheating:

• Microwave: For a quick warm-up, place individual bars in the microwave for 15-30 seconds, or until heated through and the caramel is soft and gooey.
• Oven: To restore some crispness to the crumble topping, reheat the bars in an oven preheated to 150°C (300°F) for 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.

These bars also freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as desired.

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoyed these amazing Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars, you’re sure to love these other comforting and delicious recipes:

• Apple Shortcake: A lighter take on apple dessert with fluffy biscuits.
• Apple Plum Cobbler: A delightful combination of fruits under a sweet biscuit topping.
• Almond Apple Crostata: A rustic, open-faced tart with a nutty twist.
• Carrot Cake Bars: Another fantastic bar recipe, moist and spiced to perfection.
• Caramel Oat Slice: If you love the caramel and oat crumble, this is a must-try!

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

SHORTBREAD CRUST

• ▢ 295 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (2 ¼ cups/10.4oz)
• ▢ ⅓ cup white granulated sugar
• ▢ ⅓ cup light brown sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 226 g unsalted butter cold (8oz – divided 42:184g/1½ : 6½oz)
• ▢ ¼ cup rolled oats (old-fashioned oats) for topping only (30g/~1oz)

FILLING

• ▢ 50 g light brown sugar (¼ cup packed / 1.8oz)
• ▢ 3 medium apples (notes 2 for options)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons plain flour (all purpose flour) (notes 1)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ cup salted caramel sauce
• ▢ Sea salt flakes for topping optional

• FOR THE SHORTBREAD CRUST:

  Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with baking paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to easily lift the bars later.

• Melt 42g (roughly 1 ½oz/3 Tbsp) of the butter until just melted, then set aside to cool slightly. Keep the remaining butter cold and cubed.
• In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, both sugars (white granulated and light brown), ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt until well combined.
• Using the large side of a box grater, grate the remaining cold butter directly into the flour mixture. Then, gently work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs and the butter is well distributed in roughly lentil-sized pieces. Avoid overworking the mixture.
• Stir in the slightly cooled melted butter with a spatula, then finish mixing with your hands until the butter is fully distributed and the mixture can be squeezed into a clump. It will still be a crumbly texture.
• Press two-thirds (⅔) of this shortbread mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan to form the base. Mix the rolled oats into the remaining one-third (⅓) of the dough for your crumble topping and set it aside.
• Bake the shortbread base for 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
• FOR THE FILLING:

  While the base is baking, prepare your apples. Peel and quarter the apples, then carefully cut out the core on an angle. Slice the quarters into thin pieces (approximately 3mm or ⅛ inch thick) from short side to short side. You should have about 3 ½ to 4 cups of sliced apples.

• In a separate bowl, combine the sliced apples, light brown sugar, plain flour, and ground cinnamon. Toss gently until all the apple slices are evenly coated. The flour will help thicken the filling as it bakes.
• As soon as the pre-baked base is ready, remove it from the oven. Evenly layer the apple slices over the top of the warm base, arranging them to fill most of the space. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the salted caramel sauce over the apple layer.
• Generously scatter the reserved cookie dough mixture (with oats) over the apples and caramel, forming your crumble topping.
• Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes. The bars are ready when the crumble topping is golden brown and the apples feel tender with a slight bite when poked with a toothpick.
• Allow the bars to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour, or until they are firm enough to be lifted out using the baking paper overhang. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature before slicing into 9, 12, or 16 bars for the neatest cuts. You can serve them cold, at room temperature, or warmed slightly.
• Once sliced, drizzle over slightly warmed salted caramel sauce and, if desired, a light scattering of flaky sea salt for an extra touch of flavor and texture. Serve immediately and enjoy!
• Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating on this recipe. Your feedback is greatly appreciated and incredibly helpful to us and other home bakers!

1. Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Please check the capacity of your tablespoon measure before using it to ensure accurate results.
2. Apple Varieties: While I typically favor tart apples like Granny Smith for their firm texture in baking, I find that combining them with a sweeter variety, such as Royal Gala, adds wonderful depth and complexity to the flavor of these bars. Other excellent tart options include Jonathan or Braeburn. For sweeter alternatives, consider Pink Lady, Jazz, Honeycrisp, or Fuji apples. Choose what’s freshest and suits your taste!
3. Softer Apples: If you prefer your apple filling to be very soft and yielding, rather than tender with a slight bite, you can pre-soften the apples. Place the sliced apples in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave them for 4-5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain any excess liquid that collects at the bottom of the bowl before mixing the apples with the other filling ingredients.
4. Nutritional Information: Please note that the provided nutrition details are approximate and are typically derived from an online calculator. The specific brands and exact measurements of ingredients you use may cause variations in the final nutritional values.

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