Description
Sweet homemade Apple Pie Bars bring classic American dessert comfort to your kitchen. Crisp pastry layers, fragrant cinnamon, and juicy apples create a delightful treat you’ll savor with pure baking joy.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh apples (e.g., Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled and diced
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Spices and Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Flavor Enhancer:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Warm the oven to 350F (175C) and prepare a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring complete coverage for easy removal.
- Combine dry ingredients including flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl, creating a uniform base mixture.
- Incorporate cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or fingertips until the texture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Fold the egg into the crumbly mixture, gently blending until a cohesive dough forms without overmixing.
- Dice apples into uniform small cubes and immediately toss with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Sprinkle ground cinnamon over the apple pieces, thoroughly coating each cube for consistent flavor distribution.
- Transfer half the crust mixture into the prepared pan, pressing firmly and evenly to create a compact foundation.
- Spread the seasoned apple mixture uniformly across the first crust layer, ensuring complete coverage.
- Crumble the remaining crust dough over the apple layer, creating a rustic, textured topping.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the surface turns golden brown and edges become crisp.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature for at least 1 hour before cutting into elegant squares.
Notes
- Chill butter beforehand to ensure a flakier, more tender crust that crumbles perfectly when mixed.
- Use tart apples like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp for a balanced sweetness and firmer texture that holds up during baking.
- Sprinkle a bit of nutmeg or cardamom with cinnamon for a deeper, more complex flavor profile that elevates the classic apple pie taste.
- For gluten-free option, swap regular flour with almond or gluten-free blend, maintaining the same measurements and mixing technique.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
- Calories: 215
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg