Apple Crisp Bars
Easy apple crisp bars are a simple and delicious fall dessert recipe. A crisp, buttery shortbread crust with cinnamon apple filling, and cinnamon streusel topping.
Ingredients for Apple Crisp Bars
Shortbread Crust
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Unsalted butter – Cubed, at room temperature.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- Apples – My favorite baking apples are Crispin, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Gala, Jonagold, or Pink Lady apples. You will want to use an apple that is tart, crisp, and firm. For this recipe, I used Crispin. Peel and thinly slice the apples.
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour – A bit of flour helps to soak up additional moisture let out by the apples during the baking process.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds great warm flavor to the apples.
Cinnamon Streusel
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Cinnamon
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature, cubed butter.
How to Make Apple Crisp Bars
- Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Prepare a 9×9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- Bake the shortbread crust: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Add the cubed, room temperature butter and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 15 minutes and set aside to cool.
- Make the apple filling: Stir together the sliced apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Spread the apples in an even layer on the pre-baked crust.
- Make the cinnamon streusel: Stir together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter and mix until the mixture binds together and becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble topping in an even layer over the apples.
- Bake the bars: Bake the apple crisp bars for 45 minutes. Cool the bars to room temperature before cutting into squares.
Recipe Tips
- To easily remove the bars from the pan, line the baking pan with parchment paper sheets. Cut the sheets so they fit along the bottom of the pan and extend past the top edges of the pan. To remove the bars, simply lift up on the parchment paper.
- Be sure to select a variety of apple that is good for baking like Crispin, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith apples, or Golden Delicious apples. Whatever variety of apple you use for apple pie will work well in this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the apple crisp bars?
- These bars are best enjoyed within 1 or 2 days. The crisp topping will lose it’s crispness the longer they sit. Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Why do you bake the crust before adding the apples?
- Baking the crust before adding the filling is called “blind baking”. This prevents the shortbread crust from becoming soggy after adding the apple filling.
How can I serve the bars?
- Serve the apple crisp bars warm, chilled, or at room temperature. They taste amazing with a drizzle of salted caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Other Apple Recipes You Will Love
- Apple crisp cheesecake bars
- Caramel apple cupcakes
- Apple crisp cupcakes
- Caramel apple dessert cups
- Apple crumb muffins
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Apple Crisp Bars
Yield: 9 bars
Easy apple crisp bars are a simple and delicious fall dessert recipe. A crisp, buttery shortbread crust with cinnamon apple filling, and cinnamon streusel topping.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- 24 oz (680 g) apples peeled and sliced thin (crispin, granny smith, golden delicious, honeycrisp, Braeburn gala, and pink lady)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp (4 g) ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Streusel
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
Instructions
Shortbread Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Prepare a 9×9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the cubed, room temperature unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed for a few minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Pour the shortbread crumbs into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the baking pan with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or drinking glass.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the crust while you prepare the remaining components.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
- In a large bowl, mix together the peeled and thinly sliced apples, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and ground cinnamon. Pour the apples into the baked shortbread crust and spread evenly.
Cinnamon Streusel
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well combined. Add in the cubed, unsalted butter and mix on low speed until the mixture becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel over the apple cinnamon layer.
Bake the Apple Crisp Bars
- Bake the apple crisp bars for approximately 45 minutes until the apples are tender and the streusel topping is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the bars in the pan to room temperature.
Notes
- Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Serve chilled, warm, or at room temperature.
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
terima kasih resepnya
No problem!
I made this today with fresh Crispin apples from our local apple farm. It is delicious and will make it again! Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Suzanne! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Crispin apples are perfect for these bars! I love baking after going to the apple orchard!