An Easy Apple Pie Bars Recipe you can make in no time! These apple bars are way easier to make than an apple pie but taste just as delicious!
We absolutely love all the fall baking this autumn season and apples give pumpkin a good run for the best fall flavor!
These apple pie bars are the perfect easy, sweet dessert that anyone can make and enjoy!
When you just visited the apple orchard and need an easy recipe to use up the abundance of apples, you need to give these apple bars a try!
Why you’ll love this Apple Pie Bars Recipe
- Easy to Make: This recipe is perfect for both beginners and experienced bakers. The straightforward instructions and common pantry ingredients make it accessible for anyone looking to create a delicious dessert.
- Delicious Texture Variety: These bars offer a delightful play of textures: a crust with a satisfying crunch and a tender apple filling, all topped with a sweet and spiced streusel!
- Total Fall Comfort Food: When you're feeling those fall vibes and need some spice in your life, this is a great recipe! You may also love our Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake or Pecan Pie Bars!
ingredients
Crust:
- unsalted butter
- all purpose flour
- granulated sugar
Apple pie filling:
- apples
- white sugar
- cornstarch
- unsalted butter
- lemon juice
- vanilla extract
- cinnamon, salt
Streusel topping:
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- cinnamon, ginger
- all purpose flour
What are the best apples for an apple pie bar?
You want to look for a firmer apple texture for these apple pie bars like:
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Braeburn
Substitutions for this Apple Pie Bar Recipe:
Salted Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
White Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar unless you have to, but White sugar can be used interchangeably with brown sugar.
All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour or Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour
Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch is essential in bringing the apple filling together, we don't recommend substituting this.
Ground Cinnamon & Ground Ginger: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Salt: We don't recommend leaving out the salt. Salt is necessary for balancing sweetness and bringing out those flavors.
Swap out filling: Swap out the apple filling with a lovely Fresh Peach Pie Filling, Blueberry Pie Filling, or this Cranberry Pie Filling for a holiday pie bar!
How to make Apple Pie Bars
- Using a fork, combine cubed butter, flour, and sugar until a crumbly crust forms. Press in a greased pan and bake at 350° for about 15 minutes until it’s golden brown.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a large nonstick sauté pan, simmer apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt for about 20 minutes or until the apples start to soften. Set aside.
- In a bowl mix together melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and flour.
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling. Spread evenly. Top with streusel topping. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes until the streusel is golden brown.
How To Serve This Apple Bars Recipe
These apple bars are delicious on their own as is! They really don't need anything, but if you want to warm them up and serve them with vanilla ice cream - they're even better!
Fresh whipped cream is also a delicious topping!
Apple Pie Bar storage
Should apple pie bars be refrigerated? : You can store these bars for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. We don't recommend storing these bars on the counter as they can easily get moldy.
Can you freeze apple squares? : You can freeze apple pie bars in an airtight container for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw completely before enjoying.
Warm them up: You can pop your apple bars in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Apple Pie Bars Recipe FAQs
While personal preferences can vary, it is typically not recommended to use Red Delicious or Golden Delicious in pies or bars becuase they can break down faster than others, leading to a mushy bar.
The way you cut apples is up to your preference. You can dice them into cubes or cut them into thin slices as shown in the photo above.
You can make so many things with a bushel of apples. All of the recipes below are delicious, but you could also make Instant Pot Applesauce!
More apple recipes you'll love
- Apple Cobbler
- Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Recipe
- Apple Cobbler From Scratch
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
Apple Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup unsalted butter 1 stick
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Filling:
- 4 cups peeled + sliced apples
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ sea salt
Streusel Topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted (½ stick)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a greased 9x13 baking dish.
- Assemble the crust. Cube the butter using a sharp knife. Using a fork or the whisk attachment on a mixer, combine butter, all purpose flour, and sugar until a crumbly crust forms.
- Press the crust in the greased pan and bake for about 15 minutes until it’s golden brown.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the filling.
- In a large nonstick sauté pan, stir together apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the apples start to soften. Set aside.
- Prepare the crumble topping. In a bowl mix together melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and flour.
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour the filling. Spread evenly. Top with streusel topping.
- Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until the streusel is golden brown.
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