Description
These apple pie bars are a delicious cross between a pie and a crumble bar — a buttery crust and crumble, sandwiched with tender spiced apples, perfect for autumn.
Ingredients
- For the crust & crumble: 2 cups (about 280 g) all‑purpose flour
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (about 185 g) unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- ½ cup (105 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Apple filling: 4 medium apples (≈ 550 g), peeled, cored & chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons all‑purpose flour (for the apple filling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (≈ 177°C). Grease an 8‑inch (20 cm) square baking dish and line it with parchment paper with some overhang for easy lifting.
- Make the apple filling: In a bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Make crust & crumble base: In a bowl, mix together flour, ½ cup sugar, and cinnamon. Add cold cubed butter and use a pastry blender or fingers to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until mixture forms coarse crumbs.
- Press about two‐thirds of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish to form the base.
- Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining one‐third of the crumb mixture on top over the apples (you can leave some larger crumbles for texture).
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apples are bubbling.
- Let cool completely in the pan (about 1‑1½ hours). Then use the parchment overhang to lift from pan and cut into bars (¼‑inch or thicker as you like).
- Store in an airtight container. These keep in the fridge for up to 4 days; can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
- You can substitute 1 tablespoon cornstarch for the flour in the filling if you prefer a clearer apple sauce texture.
- If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil for the last 10‑15 minutes of baking.
- Letting them cool completely helps the bars hold together when cutting.
- Use tart apples (like Granny Smith) or a mix of sweet + tart to balance flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (if 16 total)
- Calories: 205 kcal
- Sugar: ~16‑20 g
- Sodium: ~60‑80 mg
- Fat: ~9‑11 g
- Saturated Fat: ~5‑6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: ~3‑4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: ~30‑35 g
- Fiber: ~2 g
- Protein: ~2‑3 g
- Cholesterol: ~15‑20 mg
