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–+ servings

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Meg van der Kruik
Easy Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars with a buttery crust, spiced apple filling, and homemade apple cider-spiced caramel sauce.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Chill time before cutting 3 hours
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Course Dessert, desserts, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 12 bars
Calories 283 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

  • 2 cups fresh apple cider
  • 1/2 cup light brow sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup prune puree, full recipe in the notes section below.
  • 5 TBSP salted butter
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract.
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

  • 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp coarse kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, or gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour.
  • 1/2 cup almond flour

Apple Filling

  • 3 large apples, a blend of Granny Smith and Pink Lady varieties makes for a great texture. Peeled and thinly sliced 1/4-inch thick.
  • 2 TBSP all-purpose flour, or gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour.
  • 2 TBSP granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger

Citrus-Laced Streusel

  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free cup-for-cup all-purpose flour.
  • 1/8 cup almond flour
  • 1 large orange, zest removed
  • 1/4 cup salted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1/3 cup apple cider caramel sauce for drizzling over baked bars. Or you could use store-bought.

Instructions
 

To Make Apple Cider Caramel Sauce

  • Add the apple cider to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
  • Boil for approximately 20 minutes until the cider is reduced to about 1/3 cup of liquid.
  • Reduce the heat to low and stir in the brown sugar, prune puree, salted butter, heavy cream, and cinnamon. Once combined, increase the heat back up to medium-high.
  • Continue to cook for 6-8 minutes more until the caramel thickens.
  • Remove from the heat, add the vanilla bean paste and a pinch of sea salt; stir to combine.
    Set aside to cool; the caramel sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. The caramel sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance of making the apple pie bars.
    The apple pie bar recipe only requires 1/3 cup of caramel sauce, and this recipe makes 1 1/3 cups of caramel sauce. Uses for extra sauce, storage tips, and reheating instructions are in the notes section of the recipe card below.

To Make Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

  • Make the shortbread crust:
  • Preheat the oven to 300℉ (150℃). Line the bottom and the sides of a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) Pullman loaf pan (for straight-edged bars or a standard loaf pan (for tapered-edge bars, which will create a slightly thicker crust) with parchment paper.
    Leave an overhang of the parchment on each side of the pan for easy removal after the loaf is baked and chilled.
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together. Add the flours and stir again until all of the flour is evenly incorporated. The mixture should resemble soft cookie dough. If it seems too wet, you can add another tablespoon of almond flour at a time until it firms up.
    Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Poke holes across the top of the crust with a fork, then par-bake for 20 minutes. Remove at the end of the bake time, and increase the oven temperature to 350℉ (180℃).
    Time management tip: While the crust is par-baking, prepare the streusel and apple filling.
  • Make the apple filling:
  • Combine the sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl. Toss to coat until all of the slices are coated. Set aside.
  • Make the citrus-laced streusel:
  • Whisk the almonds, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, almond flour, and orange zest together in a small mixing bowl. Cut in the cold butter cubes with a fork, pastry blender, or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
  • Layer and bake:
  • Once the oven has heated to 350℉ (180℃), evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. Layer the apple slices tightly into the pan, stacking them across the dough. Fill any gaps with smaller apple slices or pieces.
    Sprinkle the streusel over the apples.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until the streusel is golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, so the bars can fully set.
  • Here is the step-by-step layout for clean, perfect slices:
    Chill: Ensure the bars are completely cooled and preferably chilled in the refrigerator for 1–2 hours. This sets the butter and filling, preventing them from crumbling when sliced.
    The First Cut: Make one long lengthwise cut straight down the middle of the pan, dividing it into two equal 4.5×5-inch halves.
    The Crosswise Cuts: Make 5 even, evenly-spaced cuts across the width of the loaf pan. This will create 6 pieces on each side, for a total of 12 uniform bars.
    Pro Cutting Tip: Wipe your knife clean with a damp paper towel or warm water between each cut to ensure the edges of the crust and apple filling look neat and professional.
  • Once cut, drizzle the tops of the caramel bars with 1/3 cup of the Apple Cider Caramel Sauce. The caramel sauce will set on the apple pie bars as it cools.
    Apple bars can be served cold, at room temperature, or warm. See the notes below for storage instructions.

Video

Notes

Recipe for Prune Puree: 
  • 16 ounces pitted California prunes
  • 1 ½ cups hot water
Combine the prunes and water in a blender. Pulse to combine, then blend until a smooth, pourable consistency forms, scraping down the sides as necessary. 
Store the purée in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
 
How To Store Extra Apple Cider Caramel Sauce:
While pourable, transfer caramel sauce to a fridge-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. We prefer a glass jar for easy reheating; see below. 
 
To Reheat Chilled Apple Cider Caramel Sauce:
You can use low power in the microwave, or if stored in a glass jar, place the jar in a saucepan, fill the pan halfway up the side of the jar with water, then gently heat over medium heat until the caramel has melted back to a pourable consistency.
Take caution when removing the glass jar from the simmering water. The glass and the contents inside will be very hot. 
Uses for Apple Cider Caramel Sauce:
This caramel sauce is great for dipping fruit into. It is also great poured warm over scoops of ice cream.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions for Apple Pie Bars:
The apple pie bars will stay fresh for 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before drizzling with caramel and serving.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 283kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 164mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 3gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 410IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
Keyword apple cider caramel, apple dessert, apple pie, apple pie bar, caramel sauce
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