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Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Posted By TheMaleBaker

On November 1, 2014 @ 2:51 pm

In Bars,Tried and True! 

http://www.themalebaker.com/salted-caramel-apple-pie-bars/

After searching long and hard for a recipe to make for this Thanksgiving, I found these salted caramel apple pie bars hiding on the internet (when I say I found them, I mean my wife did!). I decided to give them a shot, mostly because the salted caramel touch sounded too good to be true. They were a HIT! The shortbread bottom, oozy apple centre, crumble topping, and salted caramel drizzle made for the perfect combination of flavours! I would make these salted caramel apple pie bars in a heart beat. Try them out for your own family get together and let me know how they turned out for you!

Makes 8-12 salted caramel apple pie bars
Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

Shortbread crust:

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Apple Pie Filling:

  • 3 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced, about a 1/4 inch will do
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

  • 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Salted Caramel Sauce:

  • 1/2-3/4 cup Caramel
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt, add more if desired
  • I cheated and bought caramel sauce from the store to save some minutes before thanksgiving dinner. I heated the caramel up in the microwave for 30 seconds, added the salt, and drizzled it liberally over the crumble topping and served it hot and fresh!

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 300F degrees. Line an 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
  • 1) Make the crust: 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.
  • 2) Make the apple filling second: 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.
  • 3) Make the streusel third: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two knives (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 350F degrees. 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 (optional, you can also serve fresh after 20 minutes). If refrigerated, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. Heat the caramel up (see above) and pour over the top.  These bars will stay fresh in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen up to 3 months, (thaw overnight in the fridge, then drizzle with salted caramel before serving).

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction


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