Apple Pie Bars—soft, chewy, packed with cinnamon-spiced apples, and finished with a rich caramel drizzle!
Make sure to add Applesauce Cake or Apple Turnovers to your list for your next baking day.
The Best Apple Pie Bars
Apple Pie meets Carmelitas in these incredible Apple Pie Bars, and I’m totally obsessed. These bars are the perfect apple treat—gooey, chewy, and packed with just the right amount of cinnamon.
Top a warm bar with vanilla bean ice cream, drizzle on some caramel sauce, and get ready to meet your new favorite apple dessert!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these Apple Pie Bars:
- Ground cinnamon and nutmeg: Warm spices that go perfectly with apples.
- Unsalted butter: Adds rich flavor. Use room-temperature butter to avoid greasy bars.
- Light brown sugar: Sweetens and makes the bars soft and chewy.
- Flour: Provides structure for the crust and topping.
- Old-fashioned oats: Adds texture. Avoid quick or steel-cut oats.
- Baking soda: Helps the crust rise slightly for a softer texture. Sift your baking soda first if it is at all clumpy.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and highlights flavors.
- Granny Smith apples: Tart and firm, great for baking without becoming mushy.
How To Make Apple Pie Bars
- Preheat Oven: Preheat to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment.
- Make Crust & Topping: Mix butter, sugar, flour, oats, baking soda, vanilla, and salt into a thick dough. Press 1-1/2 cups into the pan and bake for 7 minutes.
- Prepare Apple Filling: In a bowl, mix apples, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Assemble Bars: Sprinkle apple mix over the crust. Crumble the rest of the dough on top.
- Bake: Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden and set.
- Cool & Serve: Let cool for 1 hour before cutting. Serve warm with ice cream and caramel.
Quick Tip
Don’t forget to line the pan with parchment paper—it makes removing the Apple Pie Bars and cleanup so much easier! Leave extra parchment hanging over the edges so you can lift the bars out to cut them.
Tips For Making Apple Pie Bars
- Press the crust evenly in the base for even baking.
- Dice apples evenly and in small pieces to ensure they cook at the same rate.
- Don’t overbake to keep bars soft—remove when the top is golden and no longer looks gooey on top.
- Crumble topping lightly without pressing it in to keep the topping crisp.
- Cool completely before cutting to keep bars from crumbling.
More Apple Desserts
- Two serving Mini Apple Pies
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake with a graham cracker crust
- Caramel Apple Bar with lots of topping ideas
- Healthy Apple Cake made without refined sugar, gluten, or dairy
- Apple Dump Cake using a cake mix
Apple Pie Bars
These gooey Apple Pie Bars are the perfect fall treat! Loaded with soft apples and a buttery crumble, they come together easily and are so delicious.
Equipment
- Baking pan 8 x 8-inch
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1-1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Apple Filling
- 4 cups diced Granny Smith apples 5 apples
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For Serving
- Vanilla ice cream
- Caramel sauce
Instructions
- Set oven to 350℉. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, let it cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, use electric hand mixers to beat together all crust and topping ingredients until a thick dough forms. Use your hands to knead ingredients together if needed.
- Press 1-1/2 cups of the dough into the base of the prepared pan, making an even layer. Bake for 7 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- In a separate bowl, gently mix together the apple filling ingredients. Sprinkle the apple mixture evenly over the crust—do not press down.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the apples. Do not press down. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the top is set.
- Allow the bars to cool for 1 hour at room temperature before cutting. These bars are best enjoyed warm, ideally on the same day. For a special treat, serve with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce.
Video
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature. They are best enjoyed the same day, as they can become mushy after that. These bars do not freeze well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 92g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 284mg | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these for the first time ever last night and they. were. so. good. This recipe is perfect! Everything goes so well with each other! I could eat the entire pan full all by myself! Whew!
Haha!! I think I did eat most of the pan by myself, I couldn’t stop 🙂 So glad you liked these!!
I’m making these right now! But bake at what temp?
350! Sorry I will update the instructions!
Ermagherd… look at that caramel! I’m such a sucker for apples and caramel. Want this for lunch right this second!
omg that caramel!! Chelsea these look divine!
These salted caramel bars sound like the most awesome autumn treat ever, Chelsea!
YUM! I am making these this weekend. They look so good Chelsea!
These look sooooo yummy! I seriously grabbed my husband so we could drool over these together! Great post and beautiful photos, as per usual!
I love apple pie, but I bake bars more often — they’re just easier and they feed a crowd more! These look heavenly with all that caramel
My goodness that droopy caramel has got me haaaangry.
I have a whole bunch of Granny Smith apples just waiting to be used. These bars look incredible. I love that ooey gooey salted caramel!