Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Buttery shortbread topped with cinnamon-spiced apples, oat crumble and a glossy salted caramel drizzle. Chill before slicing for neat, sturdy bars. Batch yield: 16 bars from one 20 cm / 8-inch square tin. One serving: 1 bar, approximately 54 g after baking and adding caramel. Allow about 4 hours 20 minutes overall: 30 minutes active preparation, 50 minutes sequential oven time (15 minutes for the base plus 35 minutes for the assembled bars), 60 minutes room-temperature cooling and 120 minutes chilling. The 210 prep minutes include all non-oven elapsed time, including cooling, chilling and the final 5 minutes of cutting and drizzling. Initial preheating and the melted butter's brief cooling overlap ingredient preparation; the oven temperature increase overlaps assembly. The crumble chills during other work, so that time is not added again. Additional baking or cooling may be needed to reach the stated cues. Appliances: Oven; Microwave; Refrigerator. Equipment: 20 cm / 8-inch square metal baking tin; Baking parchment; Digital kitchen scales; Measuring spoons; Microwave-safe mixing bowl; Two additional mixing bowls; Mixing spoon or spatula; Vegetable peeler; Knife; Chopping board; Wire cooling rack; Spoon for drizzling. Allergens: Butter and dairy caramel contain milk; flour contains wheat and gluten. Oats may also carry gluten from processing. Choose a vegetarian caramel sauce without gelatin and check its label for additional allergens, including possible soy. Nutrition is estimated per finished bar and varies with the caramel sauce used. Storage: Refrigerate finished bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days, separating layers with baking parchment. Keep at room temperature only for serving, up to 2 hours, and follow any stricter storage instructions on the caramel label. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator. The crumble will soften slightly during storage.
210 min
Prep
50 min
Cook
16
Serves
192
Calories
Macros · per serving
2g protein
25g carbs
9g fat
Ingredients
For 16 servings
- 169 g Unsalted butter, divided
- 180 g Plain all-purpose flour, divided
- 75 g Granulated sugar, divided
- 5 ml Vanilla extract
- 1.5 g Fine salt
- 43 g Old-fashioned rolled oats
- 67 g Light brown sugar
- 3 g Ground cinnamon, divided
- 315 g Apples, peeled and cored weight, about 2 medium
- 0.25 g Ground nutmeg
- 80 g Vegetarian dairy-based salted caramel sauce, ready to drizzle
- 0.5 g Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oven to 160°C conventional / 325°F / 140°C fan. Line a 20 cm / 8-inch square metal baking tin with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides. No greasing is needed. Keep 56 g of the butter refrigerated for the crumble.
- 2
Melt the remaining 113 g butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second bursts, stirring between bursts. Let it cool for about 5 minutes while you measure the other ingredients; it should remain liquid but not hot. No butter softening is required.
- 3
Stir 50 g granulated sugar, the vanilla and fine salt into the melted butter. Add 133 g flour and mix until a soft, evenly combined dough forms. Press firmly into an even layer across the base of the lined tin.
- 4
Make the crumble before baking the base: mix the oats, brown sugar, 31 g flour and 1 g cinnamon in a bowl. Cut the reserved 56 g cold butter into small cubes and rub it into the mixture with your fingertips until it forms coarse, uneven crumbs with some pea-sized clumps. Refrigerate while you prepare the apples and bake the base.
- 5
Slice the prepared apples about 5 mm thick. Toss thoroughly with the remaining 16 g flour, 25 g granulated sugar, 2 g cinnamon and all the nutmeg.
- 6
Bake the shortbread base on the middle shelf for 15 minutes, until set and just beginning to colour around the edges. Remove the tin and increase the oven to 180°C conventional / 350°F / 160°C fan.
- 7
During the temperature increase, spread the apples and any flour-sugar mixture over the hot base in an even layer, overlapping the slices as needed. Scatter all the chilled crumble evenly over the apples without pressing it down. Allow about 5 minutes for this assembly.
- 8
Return the tin to the oven and bake for 35 minutes, until the crumble is golden, the filling bubbles near the edges and a thin knife slips easily through an apple slice. If needed, bake a few minutes longer to reach these cues.
- 9
Place the tin on a wire rack and cool for 60 minutes, until no longer warm. Refrigerate in the tin for at least 120 minutes, until completely cold and firm. Do not lift out or slice while warm.
- 10
Lift the cold slab out using the parchment and cut into a 4-by-4 grid to make 16 bars. Drizzle all 80 g room-temperature salted caramel sauce over the bars, about 5 g per bar, and distribute the flaky sea salt lightly over the tops. Allow about 5 minutes for cutting and finishing.
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