Caramel Apple Crumb Bars (Print version)

Buttery shortbread base topped with spiced apples, rich caramel, and golden crumble topping.

# What you need:

→ Crust and Crumb Base

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 caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing overhang on sides for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in vanilla extract.
03 - Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
04 - Bake crust for 12 minutes until lightly set. Remove from oven.
05 - Combine sliced apples with lemon juice in a bowl. Add sugar, flour, and cinnamon, tossing until apples are evenly coated.
06 - Spread apple mixture evenly over the hot crust. Drizzle caramel sauce over apples.
07 - Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over the apple and caramel layer.
08 - Bake for 28-32 minutes until topping is light golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
09 - Cool completely in the pan. Using parchment overhang, lift bars from pan and cut into 16 squares.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The three layer magic of buttery crust, sweet sticky apples, and that impossible to resist crumb topping makes every bite feel like a hug
  • They travel beautifully to potlucks and somehow taste even better the next morning with coffee
02 -
  • Letting these cool completely in the pan is the hardest part but absolutely essential or they'll fall apart when you cut them
  • The crust might look slightly underbaked when it comes out but it firms up as it cools, so trust the process
03 -
  • If your caramel sauce is too thick to drizzle, warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave first
  • Mixing tart and sweet apple varieties creates the most complex, interesting flavor profile

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