Description
Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars combine sweet, gooey caramel and tart apples with a chewy oat crumb topping, enhanced by warm spices and a touch of sea salt. These bars offer a delicious twist on classic apple pie in an easy-to-eat bar form, perfect for any dessert craving.
Ingredients
Scale
Apple Filling
- 1 lb thinly sliced apples (about 2 large apples)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅕ teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of salt
Dough and Topping
- ¾ cup salted butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
Caramel Topping
- 3 ounces caramel (kraft bits, homemade, or from the jar)
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream (use if melting caramels, optional if using caramel sauce)
- flaked sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars.
- Prepare Apples: Peel and slice the apples very thinly. In a small bowl, toss the apple slices with lemon juice, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Set this mixture aside to allow flavors to meld.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the salted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add salt, baking soda, flour, and oats to the creamed butter mixture. Mix on low speed until combined, forming the dough.
- Form Base Layer and Bake: Press half of the dough evenly onto the bottom of the prepared 8×8 pan to form the crust. Bake this base for 8 minutes to set.
- Melt Caramel: While the base is baking, melt the caramel bits together with the heavy whipping cream in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until smooth. If using caramel sauce, omit the cream.
- Assemble Bars: Remove the partially baked base from the oven and immediately spread the prepared apples evenly over it. Drizzle or dollop the warm caramel sauce over the apples.
- Top with Remaining Dough: Drop the remaining dough by spoonfuls over the caramel and apples. It does not need to be spread evenly, as it will bake into a crumbly topping.
- Bake Bars Completely: Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 28-33 minutes, or until the dough topping is golden brown and the caramel is bubbling around the edges.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the bars from the oven and immediately sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Allow the bars to cool completely before slicing. Serve at room temperature or chilled, optionally with an extra drizzle of caramel sauce.
Notes
- These bars have a chewy oat base and topping with a sweet, gooey caramel apple pie filling.
- The use of flaked sea salt enhances the contrast between the sweet caramel and tart apples.
- Thinly slicing the apples ensures they bake properly within the bar without remaining too firm.
- Using parchment paper in the pan helps with easy removal and clean slicing.
- The bars can be served warm or cold and are excellent with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 263 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 304 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 32 mg
