Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

Apple crumb bars stacked three high with wax paper between them and an apple in the background.

5 from 12 votes

Caramel Apple Crumb Bars are created with layers of thinly sliced apple, walnuts, cranberries and caramel sauce in a delightful oatmeal crumble crust for the perfect fall dessert.

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Total Time55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: squares

Calories: 439kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Brown Sugar light or dark is fine
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Salt
1 cup Unsalted Butter melted
2 Granny Smith Apples peeled, cored and sliced thin
½ cup Walnut pieces
½ cup Dried Cranberries
1 ½ cups Caramel Bits See note for substitutions
⅓ cup Whipping Cream

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13in baking dish.
In a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups All Purpose Flour, 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats, 1 cup Brown Sugar, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda, and ½ teaspoon Salt. Stir in melted 1 cup Unsalted Butter and mix until evenly crumbly and wet.
Set aside 1 ½ cups of the crumble mixture. Press the rest into the bottom of your baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes.
Spread 2 Granny Smith Apples sliced over the baked crust. Sprinkle ½ cup Dried Cranberries and ½ cup Walnut pieces.
In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, add 1 ½ cups Caramel Bits and ⅓ cup Whipping Cream. Stir frequently until completed melted and smooth. The caramel will thicken as it cools. Pour over the dish while still warm.
Crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly of the top. Press just slightly into the caramel sauce. Bake about 25-30 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before cutting and removing from baking dish. This allows the caramel to solidify and hold together. Feel free to warm up again for eating and top with vanilla ice cream for a special treat.

Video

Notes

Caramel Sauce Substitutes

There are a few ways to make the caramel sauce in a pinch. My personal preference is to use these caramel bits, but you can substitute 32 caramel squares like these. Using real caramel to make the sauce from scratch has a more rich, buttery style caramel flavor.

If you need to use store bought caramel sauce, I recommend thickening it up with of flour. In a small saucepan, combine 1.5 cups caramel topping and ½ cup flour with a whisk. Bring to a slight boil, stirring constantly and boil 1-3 minutes.

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