Caramel Apple Crumb Bars (Print Version)
Buttery shortbread base topped with spiced apples, caramel, and cinnamon crumbles
# What You Need:
→ Crust and Crumb
01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
03 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Apple Filling
06 - 3 medium apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
07 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
08 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
09 - 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
10 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Caramel Layer
11 - 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade caramel sauce
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter and cut in using a pastry cutter or fingers until crumbly. Stir in vanilla extract.
03 - Reserve 1 1/2 cups of mixture for topping. Press remaining dough evenly into pan bottom to form crust.
04 - Bake crust for 12 minutes, then remove from oven.
05 - Toss apple slices with lemon juice. Add sugar, flour, and cinnamon, coating evenly.
06 - Spread apple mixture over hot crust. Drizzle caramel sauce over apples. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly on top.
07 - Bake for 28-32 minutes until topping is light golden brown and apples are tender.
08 - Cool completely in pan. Lift out using parchment and cut into bars.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These bars hit that perfect sweet spot between pie and cookie, giving you all the apple pie flavors without the stress of rolling out pastry dough
- The three layer magic of crisp crust, juicy spiced apples, and buttery crumbs creates texture in every single bite
02 -
- Cold butter is absolutely non negotiable here—warm butter will make your crust and crumb greasy instead of tender and flaky
- Letting these bars cool completely before cutting is the hardest part but also the most important for clean slices
03 -
- If your apples seem extra juicy, let them sit in the sugar mixture for 15 minutes before layering to prevent a soggy bottom
- The parchment paper overhang is your best friend—use it to lift the whole batch out before cutting for perfect squares