Apple crumb bars are made with homemade apple pie filling with a buttery shortbread crumb topping. Everything you love about apple pie, in a tasty handheld form.
Apple pie bars will be your new favorite easy dessert for picnics, potlucks, barbecues and Thanksgiving. Made with simple ingredients and ready in 45-minutes.
This crumb bar recipe works well with homemade or store-bought jam too. Try one of our jam recipes – mixed berry jam, raspberry peach jam or raspberry rhubarb jam.
Crumb bars are perfect for holiday cookie trays, along with raspberry bars, blueberry crumb bars, peach crumb bars, lemon crinkle cookies, chewy brownies, oatmeal raisin cookies and molasses cookies.
Why this recipe works
- Ease – Made with simple ingredients, crust and crumb topping made from the same batter.
- Homemade filling – Uses homemade apple filling made with a variety of apples.
- Crowd-pleaser – Cut into squares, this dessert bar is perfect for holiday cookie platters or an easy handheld dessert.
- Nostalgic recipe – Similar to Mom’s raspberry bars, apple pie bars are a nostalgic dessert.
What you’ll need
- All-purpose flour – Use a high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour. Our favorites are Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur Flour and Farmer Direct Foods.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the crust and topping.
- Brown sugar – This gives a depth of molasses flavor and softens the shortbread crust.
- Butter – Using unsalted helps control the amount of salt in baking recipes.
- Baking powder – This leavening agent helps the crust rise.
- Salt – Salt is added to baked goods to enhance and balance flavors.
- Vanilla & almond extract – Adds incredible flavor to the shortbread crust.
- Apple filling – We love a variety of apples; Granny Smith, McIntosh, Honeycrisp and Macoun apples are great choices.
I love using a cast iron Dutch oven for soups, sourdough bread and more. My personal preference for making homemade pie filling is an enameled Dutch oven. That way you don’t have an ‘off’ flavor to your pie filling.
Best apples for pie filling
- Granny Smith – Granny Smith apples have a tart and tangy flavor, along with firmness. They are also readily available in most grocery stores.
- Macoun – A variety native to New England and perfect for pie. It’s a cross between the ‘McIntosh’ and ‘Jersey Black’ cultivars. Sweet, slightly tart and perfect for pie.
- McIntosh – This apple is sweet and tart. It also tends to break down when it cooks.
- Honeycrisp – This apple is sweet, firm, and great apple flavor. This combination of flavor and texture makes it a great choice for pie.
How to make apple crumb bars
- Prepare the filling – Make the apple filling ahead, cool to room temperature or refrigerate overnight.
- Prepare baking pan – Line a 9×13-inch pan parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
- Preheat the oven – Preheat to 350-degrees F.
- Make the crumb mixture – In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine.
- Assemble – Press ¾ of the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread apple filling over top. Use your fingers to evenly distribute the crumb mixture.
- Bake – Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool & enjoy – Cool completely, remove from the pan and cut into bars and serve.
Apple crumb bars are a perfect addition to holiday cookie boxes, along with Mom’s raspberry bars, peach crumb bars, cherry crumb bars and cherry pie bars. Grandma’s holiday punch is one of our most popular holiday and Christmas recipes.
More easy apple desserts
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Apple Crumb Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
Apple filling
- 4-5 cups Granny Smith McIntosh, or Honeycrisp apples, cored & peeled (about 4 large apples cut into pieces)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (adjust sugar as needed)
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
Make the apple filling
- Add the apples into a large saucepan or medium Dutch oven and cook over medium heat. Add the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Cook until soft, stirring with a wooden or high heat spoon occasionally.
- Dissolve the cornstarch into cold water, stir with a spoon. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the apple mixture. Cook over medium heat to thicken. Let the mixture simmer and stir with a wooden or high heat spoon as it thickens. (Note: pie filling will thicken as it cools – so don’t overcook it!)
- Remove the pie filling from the heat, stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. It can be prepped ahead and refrigerated overnight. Let it cool completely before adding to the crumb bars.
Apple crumb bars
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula. The mixture will look like crumbs, but hold together when you pinch it with your fingers.
- Press ¾ of the shortbread mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Spread the apple pie filling over the bottom layer.
- Use your hands to evenly distribute the reserved crumb mixture over the apple layer.
- Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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