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Apple Bars Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 148 reviews

These delicious Apple Bars feature a buttery oat crust topped with a warm, spiced apple filling and a crumbly topping. Perfect for dessert or a cozy snack, they combine the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla with fresh apples baked to bubbly perfection. Finished with a simple powdered sugar glaze, these bars are easy to make and wonderfully flavorful.

Ingredients

Scale

Crust and Topping Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for crust and topping)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes

Apple Filling Ingredients

  • 4 cups peeled, chopped fresh apples
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for apple filling)
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Glaze Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1–2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal.
  2. Prepare Crust and Topping Mixture: In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve about 1½ cups of this crumb mixture for the topping.
  3. Bake Crust: Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the crust turns lightly golden.
  4. Mix Apple Filling: While the crust is baking, toss the peeled and chopped apples with cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg if using. Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
  5. Assemble Bars: Spread the apple filling evenly over the prebaked crust. Then sprinkle the reserved crumb topping evenly over the apples.
  6. Bake Bars: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the apples are bubbly around the edges.
  7. Cool and Glaze: Let the bars cool completely in the pan before lifting them out with the parchment paper. For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth; drizzle over the cooled bars before serving or leave plain if preferred.

Notes

  • Use tart apples like Granny Smith for a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.
  • Cold butter is essential to achieve the crumbly topping texture.
  • You can adjust the cinnamon and nutmeg amounts to your taste preference.
  • Make sure bars are completely cooled before glazing to prevent the glaze from melting.
  • These bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week.

Keywords: apple bars, apple dessert, baked apple bars, crumb bars, fall dessert, cinnamon apple bars

Find it online: https://platedbyemma.com/apple-bars-recipe/