These Apple Crisp Bars are one of my very favourite things to make each autumn!
I love to make these bars right after going apple picking with my friends. What’s better than filling your home with brown sugar and cinnamon notes on a cozy fall day?
The delicious, vanilla-scented shortbread base goes so beautifully with the caramelized, lightly spiced apples – and who doesn’t love a buttery crisp topping!?
Every time I share these bars with any crowd, everyone goes crazy for them. I never return home with a single bar! Crowd-pleaser for sure.
Tips for the BEST Apple Crisp Bars
- Weigh your ingredients. I did actually include cup measurements here, even though I don’t believe in measuring with cups, because these are honestly pretty hard to screw up. But my words of wisdom to you: use a digital kitchen scale and improve your baking forever!
- Don’t be stingy with the vanilla. The healthy glug of vanilla in this bake truly elevate the flavours and really rounds out the fall vibes. Don’t skip it!
- Use unsalted butter. This prevents overly salty bars – but if that’s all you have, just skip the extra salt in the bake.
Use a Light-Colored Metal Baking Pan
Let me say this loud enough for all to hear: Glass Pans Are NOT For Baking! They simply don’t conduct heat well enough for even baking. Use a light-colored metal baking pan for best results.
Can I Use a Smaller or Larger Pan?
A 9″ pan will work, but it will bake faster and won’t be as thick. If that’s all you have, go for it – just shave a minute or two off the initial shortbread bake, and then check for doneness 5 minutes earlier than the final bake.
What Kind of Apples Should I Use?
I prefer baking with Granny Smith or Golden Delicious, but any baking apple will work just fine.
More Fall Baking Recipes:
- Cinnamon Roll Blondies
- Bourbon Turtle Brownies
- Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Homemade Apple Pie with Flaky Pie Crust
Apple Crisp Bars
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Base:
- 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 130 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
For the Apple Filling:
- 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 16 grams (2 Tablespoons) all-purpose flour
- 25 grams (2 Tablespoons) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Streusel Topping:
- 98 grams (1/2 cup) all purpose flour
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) rolled oats
- 57 grams (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F / 150°C and line an 8" square light-colored metal baking pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper, overlapping the sides for ease of removal later. Secure with metal binder clips, if desired.
- Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer, or with an electric handheld mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, and salt until combined.
- Add in the flour and stir until just combined (do not overmix – this will result in a tough shortbread).
- Press the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Bake 15 minutes, or until just lightly golden around the edges. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Turn the oven up to 350°F / 175°C.
- In a bowl, combine the sliced apples, flour, sugar, and cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, oats and flour together. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the butter, being careful not to overmix. If you overmix, the topping will turn into a paste. It's okay if the topping still seems a little mealy.
- Sprinkle half the streusel over the shortbread. Neatly layer the apples on top, ensuring you keep them fairly level as you build a couple of layers. Sprinkle the remaining streusel on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the apples feel tender when a toothpick is inserted. Cool in the pan, on a wire rack, for at least 3 hours.
- Remove from pan and cut into 9 large or 16 smaller bars. Serve.
