Description
These Apple Pie Bars combine the comforting flavors of classic apple pie with a crunchy crumb topping, all made from scratch using a buttery shortbread crust and crumble. Perfect for a delightful dessert, these bars are soft inside with a crisp exterior, capturing the essence of homemade apple pie in an easy-to-serve bar form.
Ingredients
Scale
Filling
- 550 g (4 and 1/2 cups – 4 medium apples) chopped cubed apples
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 25 g (2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Crust and Crumble
- 280 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (dip and sweep)
- 185 g (3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, cold
- 105 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat & Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8 inch (20 cm) square oven-proof dish and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, ensuring about 2 inches (5 cm) of overhang on each side to easily lift out the bars later.
- Mix the Filling: In a medium bowl, combine chopped apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Toss everything well so that the apples are evenly coated with the spices and flour mixture. Set aside.
- Prepare the Crust and Crumble Dough: In a large bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon. Add the cold cubed unsalted butter and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to blend the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
- Assemble the Bars: Press about two-thirds of the crumb dough evenly into the prepared pan to form the crust base. Spread the apple filling over the crust, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture evenly over the apples to form the crumb topping.
- Bake: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 50-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbling and tender.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the apple pie bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 16 even bars for serving.
Notes
- This delicious apple pie bars recipe with crumb topping is crunchy and soft, combining the best textures for a satisfying dessert.
- You use the same shortbread dough for both the crust and crumb topping, making this an easy recipe to prepare from scratch.
- Ensure the butter is cold before cutting into the flour mixture to achieve a tender, crumbly texture.
- Letting the bars cool completely before slicing helps the filling set and prevents the bars from falling apart.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 205 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
