Description
Buttery Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Bars with a tender, cinnamon-spiced apple filling and rich caramel drizzle, topped with a golden crumble. Perfect for dessert, snacks, or gatherings.
Ingredients
- Crust and Crumble:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Apple Filling:
- 3 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (about 3 medium)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Topping:
- ½ cup salted caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until crumbly dough forms.
- Press about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the crust.
- Toss apples with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Spread evenly over crust.
- Drizzle salted caramel sauce over the apples.
- Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the top.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until top is golden and apple filling is bubbling.
- Cool completely in pan, then lift out using parchment overhang and slice into bars.
Notes
- Swap apples for pears for a different flavor.
- Add chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble for extra crunch.
- Mix a pinch of nutmeg into the apple filling for warmth.
- Use a mix of tart and sweet apples for more complexity.
- Increase caramel to ¾ cup for a thicker caramel layer.
- Store at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze tightly wrapped up to 3 months.
- Reheat in microwave 15–20 seconds or in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40–45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 22 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
