caramel apple pie bars 🍏✨ — buttery shortbread crust, gooey cinnamon apple filling, and a sweet glaze on top.
Here’s a from-scratch recipe to make them:
🍏 Caramel Apple Pie Bars
🧈 Shortbread Crust & Topping
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1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
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½ cup granulated sugar
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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¼ teaspoon salt
🍎 Apple Filling
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3 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work great)
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¼ cup brown sugar
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2 tablespoons granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon cinnamon
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¼ teaspoon nutmeg
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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½ cup caramel sauce (store-bought or homemade)
🍥 Glaze
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1 cup powdered sugar
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1–2 tablespoons milk
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½ teaspoon vanilla extract
🔥 Instructions
1️⃣ Prepare the Pan
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper.
2️⃣ Make the Crust
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Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
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Mix in flour and salt until crumbly.
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Press ⅔ of the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan.
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Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
3️⃣ Make the Filling
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Toss sliced apples with brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch.
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Stir in caramel sauce.
4️⃣ Assemble
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Spread apple mixture evenly over warm crust.
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Crumble remaining dough over the top.
5️⃣ Bake
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Bake 30–35 minutes, until top is golden and apples are tender.
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Cool completely before slicing (important for clean layers!).
6️⃣ Glaze
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Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla.
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Drizzle over cooled bars.
✨ Tips
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For extra caramel flavor, drizzle more caramel before serving.
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Chill 1 hour before cutting for neat squares.
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Store in fridge up to 4 days.
If you’d like, I can also give you a salted caramel version or a shortcut version using pie filling.