Description
Homemade salted caramel apple pie bars blend classic American dessert flavors with irresistible sweet-salty notes. Buttery crust, spiced apple filling, and rich caramel drizzle create a memorable treat you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruit:
- 4 medium apples (peeled and diced)
Base and Sweeteners:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Additional Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup caramel sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and prepare a baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage for easy removal.
- Create a buttery shortbread base by combining softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and flour until a crumbly mixture forms, then firmly press into the lined pan.
- Bake the crust for 15-18 minutes until edges turn light golden brown, allowing it to develop a crisp foundation.
- While the crust cools, slice apples into uniform thin wedges, then toss with ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and granulated sugar to enhance their natural sweetness.
- Arrange the seasoned apple slices evenly across the cooled shortbread crust, creating a dense and uniform layer.
- Generously drizzle homemade or store-bought caramel sauce over the apple layer, ensuring complete coverage and creating beautiful amber swirls.
- Sprinkle flaky sea salt across the caramel surface to balance the sweetness and add a sophisticated flavor contrast.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, watching for golden-brown apple edges and bubbling caramel.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature for at least 1 hour to set the caramel and help bars hold their shape.
- Cut into precise rectangular bars, serving at room temperature for optimal texture and flavor.
Notes
- Pick ripe, firm apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for the best texture and balanced sweetness in your pie bars.
- Toast flour briefly before mixing to enhance the crust’s nutty flavor and create a more robust shortbread base.
- Drain apple slices after seasoning to prevent excess liquid from making the crust soggy and ensure a crisp bottom layer.
- Adjust sea salt quantity based on your caramel sauce’s existing saltiness to control the final flavor intensity.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg