Fall Dessert: Apple Crumble Bars Recipe

What’s better than the smell of a fresh-baked apple pie wafting through your house? Obviously, that same delicious aroma coming from a recipe that fits your hectic lifestyle. These apple pie crumble bars have all the warm flavors of your favorite fall dessert, but are great for on-the-go snacking. Serve them up with a generous scoop of ice cream after dinner and pack the extras in everyone’s lunchbox the next day. Trust us, they’ll stay perfectly intact and no one will have a problem indulging in a second helping of this comforting recipe.

Fall Dessert: Apple Crumble Bars

Image Via: The Kitchen McCabe

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Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 70 minutes

Yield: 24 bars

 

Ingredients:

For Shortbread Base Layer:

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla or almond extract

2 sticks butter

1 teaspoon water

½ cup walnuts (optional)

For Apple Filling:

1 pound apples, peeled and sliced

2 cups white sugar

2 cups water

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 dash salt

For Crumble Topping:

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

½ cup rolled oats

½ cup flour

6 tablespoons butter, diced

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Optional Garnishes: Whipped cream, salted caramel sauce, or ice cream

Image Via: Food and Wine

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Make the base layer dough by combining the ingredients for the shortbread in a food processor. Pulse together just until a cohesive dough forms.
3. Press the dough out onto a 9×13 baking pan that’s been lined with parchment paper.
4. Cover the dough with a layer of plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
5. Bake the dough in the center of the oven for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden.
6. While the dough bakes, combine the sugar, flour, oats, nuts, and spices for the crumb topping in a small bowl.
7. Use your hands to work everything together until small clumps form and set it aside for later.
8. Toss your apple slices in apple slices so they don’t brown.
9. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and spices for the apple filling. Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat and stir it constantly until all of the sugar dissolves.
10. Fold in the apple slices and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.
11. Assemble the bars by spooning the cooked apples over the cooled cookie base and then topping it with the crumble mixture.
12. Transfer the bars into the oven and bake for an hour or until the topping is golden brown, rotating halfway through cooking.
13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Looking for a way to make this recipe even easier? Go ahead and swap the shortbread ingredients out for a store-bought sugar cookie dough. (It’ll be our little secret.) We really recommend making the apple filling from scratch, though. The freshness of apples in season is truly unbeatable. In fact, feel free to make and freeze a little extra so that your family has the ability to enjoy this delicious fall dessert even after the last leaves change.

How does your family like to enjoy apple pie? Do you have a favorite dessert bar recipe? Tell us all about it in the comments!

For more easy dessert ideas, check out Stagetecture’s archives.