Apple Pie Bars with Crumble

This easy apple pie-inspired dessert is a great way to use your autumn apple bounty and is especially wonderful during the holiday season. Learn how to make these easy-to-make apple pie bars with a crumble top at home.

Table of Content

• Why make these apple pie bars
• Ingredients and substitutes 
• Step by step instructions
• Tips for success
• More bars and squares
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Comments

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It's mid-October and the weather is still fairly warm during the day with the nice cool winter breeze in the evenings. With all the wonderful apples in the season, there is no way I'd miss an opportunity to make my apple pie-inspired crumble bars.

Why make these apple pie bars

• These are an absolute classic and a perfect bite-size dessert to take with you when invited to a get-together.
• The bars have messy crumbs, and yet no one complains, because they are buttery and tender, and filled with sweet, soft apple pie filling with the sweet scent of cinnamon. Also, the crumble top is made with shortcrust pastry dough that is tender and buttery that just melts in your mouth with every bite.
• This recipe is surprisingly easy and simple to make with easy to find ingredients or pantry staples.
• The crumble mixture works for the base and top, so you don't have to make it twice and it can be made ahead of time. 
• I think the apple pie filling is perfect on its own but you can also serve this with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. 

Ingredients and substitutes 

• Apples - Find the best apples you can get. I like to use a combination of tart firm apples like granny smith apples, Braeburn, Pacific Rose,  that hold their shape as well as quick-cooking apples such as gala or golden delicious that become soft, tender and pulpy. Other apples to include would be Pink lady, Jonagold, Braeburn. 
• Sugar - Personally, I like my topping to be white granulated sugar or powdered sugar. But for the apple pie filling, I like the caramel flavor you get from brown sugar.
• Unsalted Butter - I always use unsalted because I like to control the amount of salt I use. If you use salted butter that's fine, just omit salt in the recipe. Margarine or veg shortening works as well, and yet they both will affect the texture of the crumble - margarine has a bit more liquid, so you may need to use a tad less.
• Spice mix - Today, I am using a teaspoon ground cinnamon but, pumpkin spice, gingerbread spice, ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg work too. 
• Vanilla - I love using pure vanilla extract, but you can use vanilla bean paste, or substitute some 

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Step by step instructions

Shortcrust pastry (up to 3 days ahead)

• In a food processor bowl – add flour, sugar, kosher salt, spices, and butter. Pulse on medium speed a few times until you have coarse crumbs
  Pro tip - you can also use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
• Crumble top - Remove half the mixture into a separate bowl for the top.
• Base - Combine the egg yolk with water and add it to the remaining flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds more. Pour the mixture onto a flat surface and bring it all together into a disk. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
  Pro tip - the mixture will look crumbly but do not overmix at this point.
• Roll the base - Roll the chilled shortcrust pastry dough and line the base into a 9 x 9-inch square. Dock the pastry with the tings of the fork.

Apple pie filling (up to 2 days ahead)

• Chop apples - In a large bowl, peel, core, and chop the apple into small cubes. Add lemon juice to prevent discoloration.
• Combine - Pour the apple into a saucepan. Then add the sugar, honey, salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, and ground cinnamon– mix well.
• Cook the apple pie mixture over medium heat and cook until the apples release all their juice and start to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool until barely warm.

Assemble

• Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C / Gas Mark 5
• Bake the base into a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. This will prevent the apple juices from making a soggy crust.

• Filling - Pour the apple pie filling over the partially baked base and spread evenly.
• Top - Pour the chilled crumble mixture all over the apple filling and spread it evenly.

• Bake - Continue to bake in the oven for another 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
• Cool completely on a wire rack then cut into 16 medium squares or 12 large squares.
  Pro tip - Letting the dessert cool completely will help all the apple juices settle and make let crums when cut.

Tips for success

• Use cold butter so you have a coarse mixture for the top that will have a wonderfully melt-in-the-mouth experience on the top. 
• Keep the topping in the fridge at all times so it stays cold otherwise, it will melt on the bars. 
• A shortcrust dough makes a better base for the bars so you can cut perfect squares that won't fall apart. 
• Shape the base to the bottom of the pan and if necessary chill it to prevent it from shrinking. 
• Partially baking the base will make sure it does not have a soggy crust with all the apple juices. 
• Cooking the apple pie filling in this dessert makes it less soggy and yet gives juicy apple pie bars. 
• Bake until the crumble is a light golden brown. 
• Cooling the bars will prevent them from falling apart. 
• I cut these into 16 medium size bars but, you can also make 12 large bars. I would not recommend making it smaller than 16 bars. 

More bars and squares

• Best Cherry Bars or Blueberry Bars - Cream Cheese
• Best Apricot Crumble Squares
• Cranberry Shortbread Squares
• Chocolate Pecan Squares
• Chocolate Marzipan Squares - Christmas Treats
• Recipe for Pecan Pie Brownies or Pecan Blondies
• See all bars, squares, blondies and brownies

Frequently asked questions

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