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Apple Pie Bars combine a rich, buttery shortbread crust with tart apples and a nutty crumble topping for a hand-held version of apple pie that is perfect for everything from potlucks to holiday parties.
I feel like I reached a new level of adulthood yesterday.
While at Home Depot on the hunt for mums in a specific color and size – yes, I am already decorating for fall, judge away – I somehow ended up in the toilet seat aisle.
Well, I kind of know how I ended up there – I was browsing bathroom vanities because ours are falling apart after 4 years.
Gotta love builder grade products. Insert mega eye roll here.
I came across a soft-close toilet seat and decided that I needed to have it, but that’s not necessarily the new level of adulthood part.
Sure a new toilet seat that doesn’t wiggle and get slammed by my 5-year-old is awesome, but guys, I removed the old one and installed the new one myself.
I am sure some of you are rolling your eyes right now because toilet seat installation is not that serious, but I am the most unhandy of people on the planet, so this was quite the Thursday afternoon accomplishment.
In fact as soon as I’m done decorating for fall, I’m thinking of trying my hand at installing some vertical shiplap in my laundry room.
Wait, is shiplap still a thing?
Maybe I should stick with what I’m decent at and that’s making desserts, especially fall desserts like these apple pie bars.
APPLE PIE WITH A TWIST
I’m going through a bit of an apple phase – more specifically an apple pie phase, but not in the traditional sense.
I’m all about the warm and cozy taste and texture of America’s favorite pie, but I’m having fun baking those flavors into other desserts.
I’ve been revisiting recipes like my Caramel Apple Crisp, gorgeous Apple Pie Muffins, luscious Slow Cooker Apple Butter and now these lovely Apple Pie Bars.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a traditional apple pie every now and again, even if it’s in mini version like my Mini Apple Pies. But pie crust is not my favorite thing to work with and honestly, I think some of these other recipes are more fun (and easier) to make.
HOW TO MAKE APPLE PIE BARS
In the case of Apple Pie Bars, pie crust is swapped with a shortbread crust. After mixing the dough together, it gets pressed into the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet – zero chilling or rolling necessary.
The “hardest” part of this recipe is the filling. I use the word “hardest” loosely because if you can cook anything in a pan, then you can make this filling.
Because you want the apples in these Apple Pie Bars to be nice and soft, they need to cook for a bit before the bars go in the oven.
I also nixed a top crust on these bars in favor of a crumble topping. Oats, cinnamon, and pecans make this crumble so good, it might be my favorite part of this recipe.
Although these Apple Pie Bars definitely fit into the dessert category (they’re amazing with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream), we can’t help indulging in them with our morning coffee for a delicious breakfast.
This recipe makes a huge batch of these bars which makes them perfect for potlucks, holiday cookie swaps or holiday parties. You’ll find yourself making them for just about every occasion!
Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 6 pounds Granny Smith apples about 12 apples—peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ cup water if necessary
For the topping:
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 15-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms.
- Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan creating an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.
Make the Filling
- In an extra large skillet, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter with 1/2 cup of the light brown sugar. Add the apples to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir the cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet and if necessary, add up to 1/2 cup of water to prevent scorching. Let cool. (I did not need to add any water to my skillet.)
Make the Topping
- In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the pecans and press the mixture into clumps.
Assemble and Bake
- Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.
Video
Notes
- Bars can be stored in at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- I definitely recommend using an Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer for this recipe. You can pick them up at a variety of places such as Amazon and Bed, Bath and Beyond. They are pretty inexpensive and make the prep work a breeze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is there another pan I can use for this recipe as I don’t have the pan stated above?
Mary-
I think you could get away with halving the recipe and using a 9×13 pan. I hope this helps.
-Jamie
Like to make 1/2 recipe. .what size pan recommended? Thx!
Kellie-
I have never halved this recipe, but I think you’d be okay with a 9×13. I hope this helps.
Jamie
Way to much crumble!! I’d suggest cut the recipe by a quarter!!
I took these to a HS Girls Tennis Banquet last night, and they were a HUGE HIT. I had parents waiting at the end to see who was going to claim the baking pan so they could figure out who had baked the bars. Needless to say, I have folks to send to your blog this morning!
One Tip: Even with a well-seasoned edged baking stone, use the parchment paper and allow it to “stick up” about a 1/2 inch around the entire edge. This will catch all of that wonderful topping!
Tena-
That’s great to hear, and thank you for the tip! I’m happy that they went over so well. Have a great day!
-Jamie
I must have done something wrong. These were a BIG disappointment; time consuming and costly. I baked them for 40 min. instead of the 1 hr as directed, yet the bottoms were blackened and the bars dry. I made them for our couples card group but am hesitant to serve them; wondering if I should have a back up dessert.
Vivian,
I’m sorry you had that experience. It almost sounds like your oven temp is way off. For example, my oven runs 10 degrees hotter than the display says. I found out when I put in a separate oven thermometer. My started adjusting my baking temperatures, and my results got a lot better. I wouldn’t serve them if the bottoms are blackened.
– Jamie
Hi there. I’m making these Friday and was wondering something. What would be the difference if I used old fashioned/regular oats instead of the quick cooking kind? They bake for so long I wonder if it would matter? I have the regular oats here already and I’d rather not have to buy more if I don’t have to. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you! :)
Dee-
Thanks for visiting! I think old fashioned oats will work perfectly – great question! I hope this helps.
-Jamie
It did work out wonderfully. They were a big hit! Now some people want a cherry version, so I’m going to use your recipe for cherry pie filling and use almonds instead of pecans in the topping.
As a side note, I was amazed at how much liquid comes out of the apples when you cook them. I had no idea! LOL thanks for such a delicious recipe. :-D
Dee-
Yum, a cherry version sounds great! Thanks so much :)
-Jamie
First of all….these need to be in my life but not 4 dozen of them! There are only 2 of us in the house and all the butter would so not be good! What size pan would I use if I cut the recipe in half? or even just enough to make 1 dozen?
Great recipe thank you! I made them for a family camping trip since pie is a little tricky to camp with. Grandma loved them (the queen of apple pies!) as did everyone. I’m sending the link to my mother-in-law and a few others.
I wish more of the people responding had actually made this recipe instead of saying it sounds good. I made these last night and had a few issues. First, I did burn the apples a bit – you have to leave them for quite a while to get all the liquid incorporated, and I didn’t check them enough. But not burned much and I was able to take out the few burned parts and the rest was fine. The amount of topping this makes is really way too much, I did use it all but it was a very thick topping, think I should have just thrown out part and made it how you have pictured. The time needed to bake, at least for me, was 20 minuted less than what you indicate. Glad I kept checking it – this would have burned. I let them fully cool and cut them up – wow this makes a lot, but I lost all the sides as they were so crumbly. I did pat down the topping before baking to try and avoid this, but all the bars were very crumbly, kind of a mess to eat. I added salted caramel to the top which didn’t help in the mess department but did make them tasty. Ultimately too much work to make these again, no real “wow” factor for how long it took!
Same for me. I just turned the oven off after 1/2h, because it’s getting quite dark. And the bottom was already prefectly done after 20 min. That’s going to be even darker.
I made a bowl crumble with the left-over topping and apples. Just have to bake it.
Wanted to add, we tried them, and they’re really good. I’ll just know for next time to bake for at least half an hour less and make a bit less topping.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for the apple recipes — especially the Apple Pie Bars. We have an apple tree in our front yard — paid $2 for it several years ago, and it is “GROANING”, it is so FULL of apples. Not sure what kind of apples they are — a yellow variety, like maybe Grimes Golden or something…. anyway, last year for the first time, we had a good crop of apples and we made applesauce for freezing (then found out how easy it is to can it!!), apple butter, and some flavored applesauces (raspberry, etc.). We also froze some slices. I thought we had a lot of apples LAST year. WHEW — this year is gonna be a DOOZIE!!! So, since I don’t (“can’t”) make pie (for reasons I will never understand……can NOT drive a stick-shift vehicle either….) this “pie-in-a-bar” recipe looks like it might be right up my alley.!!! Keep these GREAT recipes coming!!!!! I “liked” you on Facebook, and am following you on Pinterest!
Jana,
Thank you so much and I’m super jealous of your amazing tree! Please come back and let us know your experience with the recipe and enjoy your summer!
Jamie