Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

Posted by:

Lucia Seligman

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On:

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Ingredients:

Crust-

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp vanilla

Apple filling- 

  • 3 medium tart baking apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp brown sugar

Crumble topping-

  • ¾ cup oats
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp salted butter (melted)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Caramel Sauce-

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp salted butter
  • ½ tsp flaky salt (plus more for serving)
  • ¼ cup milk

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 300ºF and line an 8” square baking pan with parchment paper
  2. For the crust-  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Then add in the melted butter and vanilla extract. 
  3. Press the crust into an even layer in the pan and bake it for 15 minutes
  4. For the apple filling- While the crust is baking, in a large bowl fold the apples with the lemon juice and brown sugar. 
  5. Let the apples sit for 5 minutes and then add in the spices and flour. 
  6. For the crumble topping- In a small bowl combine the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Then add in the melted butter. 
  7. Once the crust is out of the oven, change the temperature to 350ºF and tightly layer the apples on. Finish with an even sprinkle of the crumble across the bars. 
  8. Bake them for 35 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown in color and the apples are oozing. 
  9. For the caramel sauce- In a small pot, stir the granulated sugar on medium-high heat with a rubber spatula until amber in color and liquid in consistency. 
  10. Then quickly add in the butter and continue mixing until the butter is melted. 
  11. If the butter and sugar stay separate, turn off the heat and whisk them together until they combine fully. Then turn the heat back on. 
  12. Next stream in the milk while stirring constantly. 
  13. Then stop mixing and allow the caramel to boil.
  14. Once boiling turn off the heat and add in the salt.
  15. Let the caramel cool while you are taking the bars out of the oven 
  16. Give the bars 15-20 minutes to cool down and then drizzle on your desired amount of caramel. 
  17. Cut them in 12 bars, then top with extra flaky salt and enjoy!