Apple Crumble Bars

5 from 8 votes

Apple Crumble Bars are an easy version of apple pie. Cinnamon spiced apples are sandwiched between two buttery, oat-filled crumb layers and baked to a golden brown. Serve this delicious dessert with a big scoop vanilla ice cream!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple bars, apple crumb bars, apple dessert, apple pie bars, dessert

Servings:

Calories: 322kcal

Author: Amy Casey

Ingredients

For the filling -
2 tablespoons salted butter
8 cups peeled and sliced apples about 8 medium sized apples
¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
for crumb layers -
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks 1 cup salted butter (chilled or better yet frozen)
vanilla ice cream – for serving optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the apples. Stir to coat the apples with the melted butter.
In a small bowl, mix the water with the cornstarch until dissolved and forms a slurry. Stir the cornstarch slurry, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ½ teaspoon kosher salt into the apples and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking until the apples begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.
For the crumb layers, in a large bowl whisk the flour, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, rolled oats, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
Grate the frozen salted butter and add it to the bowl with the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender, fork or your fingers to combine the mixture until it is crumbly with pieces about the size of marbles.
In the prepared baking pan, add one-half of the crumb mixture and press down. Layer the apples on top and sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture and press down lightly.
Bake for 30 minutes. Increase oven to 425 degrees and continue baking until the top of the bars are golden brown, about another 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Let cool and cut into bars.
Serve alone or topped with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Choose a couple different baking apples for the apple bars. I like to use some sweet and some tart for the best apple flavor. My go tos are Braeburn and Granny Smith.
Freeze the 2 sticks of butter used in the oat crumb mixture. Frozen butter is super easy to grate.
For neat, square apple bars, allow the pan of bars to cool before cutting them. If you just can't wait to eat these apple filled bars, they will taste just as good scooped from the pan with a big spoon.

Nutritional information is an estimate and based on the ingredients and cooking methods used in this recipe.

Nutrition