Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Friends. It’s December. How did this happen? I swear yesterday it was warm and sunny, and I was looking forward to the coming fall activities with pretty leaves and pumpkin lattes and being able to layer my clothes again. Now I have a forearm strain from spending too many hours cleaning up those “pretty leaves,” and the “layers” have come to be covered by the parka I now wear to work in the morning. Also 2015 is almost over. And I’m going to be one year older very, very soon. Woof.
Even though I expected the fall to bring a slower schedule, life is proving not to slow down one bit, and on top of that we’re headed into that time of year when life gets even busier! How do parents cope? This is question I often wonder, and still cannot comprehend. I have enough trouble managing to fit everything in my life that I want to, and I only have one person to think about. (Seriously, this question keeps me up at night. How do you crazy people do it? Is it just that you’re actually a little bit insane? Or just better at time management than me? Or you have no hobbies? Or are super-people?!)
Anyway, parenting is neither here nor there when we’ve got as important a topic as (Pumpkin) Caramel Apple Pie Bars to discuss. I love apple pie as much as the next person, but I generally prefer things in bar form – brownies, blondies – you know what I mean. So these apple pie bars were the perfect fall dessert.
I used more apples than the original recipe called for, and was really happy with the result. The apples cook up nicely, but still keep a bit of their texture, which I definitely prefer to squishy, shapeless apples. (I guess probably everyone feels that way, huh? Duh.)
Instead of using a regular caramel sauce, I decided to use pumpkin caramel from Trader Joes. I’d had it sitting in my pantry for far too long, and this seemed like a good way to use it. The pumpkin caramel was loaded with warm fall spices, and it paired beautifully with the apples. I really loved the combination.
I’m starting to get a backlog of blog posts — darn busy schedule! — so I know we’re well past apple season at this point, but these bars are killer. And some of the best baking apples are in the grocery store all year long, so if you find yourself trying to deny winter for just a little bit longer (much like I do on a daily basis), these should do the trick!
Back soon with new recipes, promise! I’ll try not to disappear again, but make no promises. Happy December!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 medium/large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/4 inch thick)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- Your favorite salted caramel sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling and streusel.
- Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
- Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350 degrees F. Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
http://www.sweetlyserendipity.com/dessert/brownies-and-bars/caramel-apple-pie-bars
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Source: http://www.sweetlyserendipity.com/dessert/brownies-and-bars/caramel-apple-pie-bars
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