Sweet and irresistibly tasty, apple pie bars are an easy fall dessert with a shortbread crust, homemade pie filling, and crumbly cinnamon sugar topping. This apple bars recipe is much easier to make than a holiday pie!
If you love apple pie but don't feel like making a pie crust, this apple bars recipe is for you!
This dessert has all the flavors of a pie, but with way less work! A buttery crust, sweet filling, and crumbly cinnamon sugar topping make the ultimate fall treat!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make. This recipe is perfect for both beginners and experienced bakers. The instructions are simple, so it's great for anyone looking to create a delicious holiday dessert.
- Delicious! These bars have a buttery, flaky crust, a tender apple pie filling, and crunchy crumble topping.
- Perfect fall dessert. Make a batch of apple pie bars when you get home from the apple orchard and want an easy apple dessert to make with your fresh fruit.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
Crust
- butter: I like salted butter, but unsalted butter works just as well.
- all-purpose flour: No fancy flour is needed for this recipe. You can use either bleached or unbleached flour.
- white granulated sugar: Just a tiny bit of sugar adds sweetness to the crust of the pie bars.
Apple pie filling
I recommend that you make my apple pie filling recipe. It's easy to make, and homemade filling tastes so much better than canned apple pie filling!
- apples: Any variety with a firm, crisp flesh is best. See my suggestions below for the best apples to use for this apple bars recipe.
- granulated white sugar
- cornstarch - This ingredient will thicken the apple filling.
- butter
- vanilla extract
- spices - ground cinnamon, ginger and salt
Crumble Topping:
- butter
- granulated white sugar
- spices: ground cinnamon and ginger
- all-purpose flour
Best Apples for Baking
Here are just a few of the apple varieties that I like to bake with:
- Granny Smith: The tart flavor of this variety works really well in sweet desserts.
- Honeycrisp: This variety typically costs a little more, but it has a delicious sweet-tart flavor.
- Gala- This is another slightly sweet, firm-flesh variety. I like to use Gala for the homemade apple pie filling.
- Rome: A super red apple and not too tart. A great all-around apple. Good for pies, crisps, and snacking.
Substitutions and Recipe Variations
- Butter: Plant-based butter sticks tend to have an oily consistency, but they may work as a substitute. Just keep in mind that this recipe has not been tested with butter substitutes.
- white sugar: To reduce the calories of the apple pie bars, feel free to use any cup-for-cup type of granulated sugar substitute. Monkfruit sugar is a good option.
- cornstarch: Rather than using flour, I use cornstarch to thicken the filling. Good substitutes are arrowroot and tapioca starch.
- vanilla extract - For a stronger vanilla flavor, feel free to substitute vanilla bean paste. But if you do this, just use half the amount of paste - it's much stronger than extract!
- all-purpose flour: If you'd like to make gluten free apple bars, substitute with a cup-for-cup gluten free all purpose flour. Popular brands are Bob's Red Mill and King Arthur Flour.
- apple pie filling - Although the flavor isn't even close to the fresh flavor of homemade filling, you can use canned apple pie filling if it's easier for you.
Flavor Variations: Swap out the apple filling for Peach Pie Filling or Blueberry Pie Filling. Or, for a different fall flavor, use Cranberry Pie Filling.
How to Make Apple Pie Bars
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
- Make and bake the crust. Use a fork or pastry cutter to combine the butter, flour, and sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Cook the apple filling. Place the apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt in a deep non-stick pan or sauce pot.
Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. It usually takes about 20 minutes for the apples to soften and the filling to thicken.
When the crust has finished baking, pour the filling over the crust. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it into an even layer.
- Prepare the crumble topping and sprinkle it over the filling.
- Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. When the apple bars filling is bubbly, and the streusel topping is golden brown, remove the baking dish from the oven.
Liz's Tips for the Best Apple Bars
- Soften the butter so it's easier to incorporate with the flour.
- Preparing the apples: You can slice or dice the apples, whichever you prefer. The important thing is to try and keep the sizes consistent so that the fruit bakes evenly.
- The crust mixture for the apple bars is crumbly. This is normal.
- Is your filling too thick? As the apple bar filling cooks, it may be too thick for your liking. If so, add 1 Tablespoon of water to the pan and stir to combine.
- Allow the dessert to cool before cutting the apple squares: When it first comes out of the oven, the topping will be crumbly and the filling will be loose. Let the apple bars cool for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Serving Suggestions
I think the apple bars are delicious on their own, either warm or cold. For a special treat, top them with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream - they taste even better!
The apple pie bars are delicious with caramel sauce drizzled on top too!
Storage
Store the apple bars for up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Storing this dessert at room temperature is not recommended, as the filling will become moldy pretty quickly.
Freezing: You can freeze the dessert in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before enjoying.
Warm them up: You can reheat individual squares in the microwave on high power for 30 seconds, or reheat several in a 350° F. oven for 10-15 minutes.
Other Apple Desserts to Make
- Apple Cobbler
- Homemade Apple Pie Filling
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Recipe
- Apple Cobbler From Scratch
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
Apple Pie Bars
Sweet apple pie bars are a fantastic and easy fall dessert. This apple bars recipe is much easier to make than a pie, but just as tasty!
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Servings: 16 square
Calories: 286kcal
Ingredients
Crust:
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1.5 sticks, softened
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
Filling:
- 6 cups peeled + sliced apples
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ sea salt
Crumble Topping:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted (½ stick)
- ⅓ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or non-stick cooking spray.
Make the Crust
- Using a fork or the whisk attachment on an electric mixer, combine butter, all purpose flour, and sugar until a crumbly crust forms. It will seem dry, but that's fine!
- 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.
Make the Filling
- In a large nonstick sauté pan, stir together apples, sugar, butter, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the apples start to soften. **You can add 1 tablespoon of water if your apples start to thicken too much or are sticking to the pan.
Make the Crumble Topping
- To a mixing bowl, add melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and flour. Stir well to combine.
Bake
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour the apple filling over it. Use an offset spatula or back of a spoon to spread the filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle crumble topping evenly over the fruit filling.
- Bake at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes, or until the top of the crumble bars is golden brown.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
Helpful Tips from Liz
- Preparing the apples: You can slice or dice the apples, whichever you prefer. The important thing is to try and keep the sizes consistent so that the fruit bakes evenly.
- Is your filling too thick? As the apple bar filling cooks, it may be too thick for your liking. If so, add 1 Tablespoon of water to the pan and stir to combine.
- Allow the dessert to cool before slicing: Until it cools a bit, the topping will be crumbly and the filling will be loose. I recommend letting the apple bars cool for at least 15-20 minutes before you attempt to cut it into squares.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 424IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg
Jeanie Dubberley
The directions say, "In a large nonstick sauté pan, stir together apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt." What about the 2 tablespoons unsalted butter listed in the recipe?
Liz Marino
That's a typo that I just fixed, the butter gets sauteed too!
Sharon
Made this recipe for Thanksgiving. Simple, yet utterly delicious. This has been requested for Christmas as well. Served it warm with vanilla ice cream and I could have eaten the rest for breakfast the next day.
The only small changes I made was to use coconut sugar (better for those who are insulin resistant) and I omitted the ginger in the topping. Otherwise I followed it as written.
Lynne Falcigno
These apple bars are the perfect dessert! Yummy cinnamon and apples baked on a buttery base ( not a soggy one - firm and solid to hold those apples!). Quintessential fall!!