Description
A buttery shortbread-like crust, tender spiced apples, and gooey pockets of caramel come together in these Salted Caramel Apple Bars—maximum reward, minimal effort.
Ingredients
**For the Crust & Crumble**
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
**For the Apple Filling**
3 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
**For the Caramel Layer**
11 oz store-bought soft caramels, unwrapped (about 35 pieces)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 or 9×9-inch pan with parchment, leaving overhang.
2. In a bowl, mix flour, both sugars, and salt. Cut in cold butter until mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.
3. Press about ⅔ of crumble into pan; bake 15 minutes until edges lightly golden; let cool.
4. Toss apples with flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
5. Melt caramels with cream (30-sec bursts in microwave) until smooth.
6. Spread apple mixture on crust, drizzle caramel over apples.
7. Sprinkle remaining crumble, then flaky sea salt.
8. Bake 30-35 minutes until topping is golden and filling is bubbly.
9. Cool completely before cutting for clean bars. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days at room temp, up to 5 days refrigerated, or freeze up to 3 months.
Notes
Use a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for texture and flavor.
Let bars cool completely before cutting to avoid runny caramel.
Cold butter in the crumble gives the best texture.
You can add 1/2 cup chopped nuts or dried cranberries for variation.
Homemade caramel sauce can be substituted—use about 1 to 1½ cups, ensure it’s thick enough.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar (approx)
- Calories: approx. 320 kcal
- Sugar: approx. 20 g
- Sodium: approx. 150 mg
- Fat: approx. 15 g
- Saturated Fat: approx. 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: approx. 5 g
- Trans Fat: approx. 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: approx. 45 g
- Fiber: approx. 2 g
- Protein: approx. 3 g
- Cholesterol: approx. 35 mg