Apple Pie Bars deliver all of the pleasure of an apple pie, without all of the fuss. When you need to make apple pie for a large group, these bars are absolutely perfect. One recipe can make up to 24 bars. With a no-fuss crust that you press (not roll), they’re much easier. Plus, you can’t beat that crumb topping. Drizzle them with some extra caramel or serve with ice cream for an extra special treat!
You can arrange the topping into a lattice, stripes or other decorative patterns if you’d like. These bars are best the day they are made, but they can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Or they can be frozen immediately after cooling and kept up to 1 month in the freezer. Just make sure to thaw them before serving
You will want to use a combination of tart apples (like Granny Smith) and sweet-tart apples (like Fuji). Peel and core the apples and then cut each apple small pieces. Once the crust mixture is made, spread 2/3 of it in an oven proof dish. Next, add the apple mixture and then cover the apples with the remaining dough as crumbles. It’ll be difficult to resist cutting into them because your house will smell amazing. But you should let them cool before cutting the bars so they remain intact.
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Apple Pie Bars
Course: DessertsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy24
servings30
minutes40
minutesApple Pie Bars deliver all of the pleasure of an apple pie, without all of the fuss.
Ingredients
- Crust and Topping:
softened butter, for greasing pan
3 cups 3 all-purpose flourr
1 cup 1 sugar
1 tsp 1 fine sea salt
3 sticks 3 cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup 3/4 walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground cardamom
- Apple Filling:
1 1/2 lbs 1 1/2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into 1/8-inch slices
1 1/2 lbs 1 1/2 sweet-tart apples, such as Fuji, Pink Lady or Gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/8-inch slices
3 tbsp 3 lemon juice
1/4 cup 1/4 unsalted butter
1 tsp 1 ground cinnamon
1 tsp 1 freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp 1/2 ground cardamom
2/3 cup 2/3 sugar
Directions
- Crust & Topping:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with foil with overhang on all sides. Lightly grease pan with softened butter or nonstick spray, such as Pam.
- Pulse flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse sand. Put 1 1/2 cups in a medium bowl and mix in walnuts, cinnamon and cardamom. Squeeze with your hands to form a solid mass of dough. Cover and refrigerate.
- Pour remaining mixture into prepared pan and spread in an even layer, then press into bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up the sides.
- Bake until golden brown and dry to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Raise oven temperature to 375°F.
- Filling:
- Toss all of the apples with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Melt butter in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and sizzle for 15 seconds. Add apples and cook, stirring often, until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all liquid releases from the apples then evaporates, 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should be quite dry and the apples tender, but not sticking to the pan. Remove from heat and cool.
- Spread apple filling evenly over crust and press down gently to get rid of any gaps between the apple slices. Uncover the reserved walnut mixture and break off pebble-sized pieces. Arrange pieces in a lattice or striped pattern over filling or scatter evenly on top.
- Bake until the topping is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a rack. To serve, lift apple pie bars out of pan and onto a large cutting board. Slide bars off foil, then cut into 6 even strips crosswise and 4 even strips lengthwise.
Notes
- The unbaked crust and topping, reserved in the bowl and pressed into the pan, can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking, or frozen for up to 1 month and used directly from the freezer. The cooked apple pie filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days and used directly from the refrigerator.
- If you want your apples to cool quickly, spread them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and pop in the freezer for 5 to 7 minutes.
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