Apple Pie Bars

Joy of Spanish Cooking
by Joy of Spanish Cooking
12 bars
1 hr 35 min

Hola!


Wow, I cannot believe fall is here. I love the fall weather, not quite as much as summer, but I do enjoy the sunny and crisp cool days in Maryland. For me fall is all about apples, pumpkins, cranberries etc. By the way, have you had my easy pumpkin donuts? You should check them out, so moist and delicious. And oh! They are baked!


Apple season is here, I enjoy apple cider, apple cider donuts, apple pies, and just apples by themselves. I also love to make my mom’s apple cake (bizcocho de manzana), a classic that she used to make every Sunday!


Today, I am making apple pie bars, a take on a traditional apple pie. While these are definitely not Spanish, I am inspired by my mom. Her favorite pie is apple pie. Every time she visits the States, she requests apple pie. lol.


I want to share the recipe with you because it’s so good. Super buttery and delicious. These bars are a true bite of fall. For this recipe, I am using sweet apples, that’s why I am not adding any sugar in the filling. If you swap one of the apples for a tart apple such a granny smith, you may have to add up to 2 tablespoons of sugar.


Let’s jump into the recipe!

Recipe details
  • 12  bars
  • Prep time: 30 Minutes Cook time: 65 Minutes Total time: 1 hr 35 min
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Ingredients
Crust:
  • 12 Tbsp Melted Butter
  • 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 and 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour SPOON the flour directly into the measuring cup from the container-  DO NOT scoop the flour from the container or bag directly with the measuring cup.
Filling:
  • 1.3 Pounds Sweet Apples (3 medium apples such as pink lady or Honeycrisp) Peeled and Sliced *See notes
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp All spice (ground)
  • 1/8 tsp Nutmeg
  • 2 Tbsp Butter melted
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Crumb:
  • 1/4 Cup Butter Cold and diced
  • 3/4 Cup Old Fashion Oats
  • 1/4 Cup AP Flour
  • 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Crust:
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line the bottom and sides of a 7 x 11 -inch (or similar sized) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt and the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes.
While the crust is baking, start preparing the filling and crumb.
Filling:
Combine the sliced apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, lemon, melted butter and cornstarch together in a large bowl. Mix until all of the apples are evenly coated.
Crumb:
Mix all the ingredients.  Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or with your hands, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Assemble:
Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F.
Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with the crumb and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the crumb is golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 35 to 45 minutes at room temperature. Lift the parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. Cut them into 12 bars or more(if you prefer smaller.)
Bon profit!
Tips
  • Apples: I am using sweet apples, that's why I am not using any sugar in the filling. If you use a mix of sweet and tart apples you may have to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar.
  • Make Ahead: You can make them up to 2 days ahead of time. Keep them in the fridge in the pan. Cut them the day you will serve them.
  • These freeze beautifully. Thaw out the night before.
Joy of Spanish Cooking
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Comments
  • Che16639931 Che16639931 on Sep 24, 2021

    Could this be done in a convection oven ..what temp, degree ???

  • Richard schmidt Richard schmidt on Oct 08, 2021

    is that a typo-12 tbs butter ???


    • See 6 previous
    • Gary Gary on Oct 10, 2021

      Yes it doesn’t sound unusual you are only using 2 sticks of butter for the whole recipe

      crust, filling, and crumb

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