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Two caramel apple crumble bars stacked on white tray.

Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Yield: 20 to 24 bars
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

Crust/Crumble:

  • 3 cups (426 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (318 g) lightly packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups (340 g) salted butter (3 sticks), melted

Apples:

  • 3 pounds crisp apples, like Granny Smith apples or Honey Crisp apples (about 7 medium apples for about 8 cups sliced apples)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (170 g) caramel sauce, plus more for drizzling, if desired

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven (to ensure the crust doesn't get too hard or burn).
  • Line a 9X13-inch metal baking pan with parchment paper leaving 1-inch overhang on two long sides. Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • For the crust, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until evenly combined and the mixture forms small clumps.
  • Remove 2 cups of the mixture and set aside. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  • Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is lightly set (it will cook more in a later step).
  • For the apple layer, peel, core and seed the apples. Cut the apples into 1/8-inch slices.
  • Add the apples and lemon juice to a large bowl and toss together.
  • Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt, and mix until evenly combined. Stir in the caramel sauce.
  • Spread the sliced apples evenly over the crust.
  • Break apart the reserved streusel into small pieces and sprinkle over the apples.
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the apples are tender and the streusel is golden. Tent the top of the pan loosely with foil partway through baking if the streusel is browning too quickly before the apples are tender.
  • Remove the bars from the oven and let cool. The apple filling will thicken as it cools.
  • Slice into squares and drizzle with additional caramel sauce. Serve chilled, at room temperature or lightly warmed with ice cream.

Notes

Apples: Granny Smith apples and Honey Crisp apples have fairly different flavor profiles since Granny Smith apples are less sweet and more tart. I have made these bars with both types of apples (separate batches), and slightly prefer using Granny Smith apples. I don't change the amount of caramel sauce between the two apple varieties, but if you like apple desserts a bit more sweet and are using Granny Smith apples, you can consider adding another 1/4 cup caramel sauce. 
Caramel Sauce: This homemade caramel sauce works great in this recipe.