Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Delight in these buttery crust and streusel-topped apple pie bars drizzled with caramel and sprinkled with sea salt for a perfect treat.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Apple Filling
- 3 cups apples, peeled, cored, and diced (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp recommended)
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- Pinch salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
- Pinch salt
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Mix crust ingredients, press into pan, and bake 12-14 minutes. Cool slightly.
- Toss apples with sugar, flour, spices, salt, and lemon juice. Spread over crust.
- Combine streusel ingredients, rub in butter until clumpy, sprinkle over apples.
- Bake 30-35 minutes until golden and bubbling. Drizzle caramel, sprinkle sea salt.
- Cool at least 1 hour, then chill 30 minutes. Lift out, cut into 12 squares.
Notes
Chilling the bars helps achieve clean slices and better texture.