One of the easiest apple desserts to make this fall: Caramel Apple Crumb Bars. Delicious brown sugar crust and topping and creamy apple filling.
We love these crumb bars during fall, as much as we love my Cherry Pie Crumb Bars during summer.
CARAMEL APPLE CRUMB BARS
I made another version of my favorite bars: sour cream crumb bars. My crumb bars are one of the easiest recipes on my site and so easily adaptable to any season and any flavors. You name it, I can make it into these crumb bars. My favorites are Strawberry Pie Crumb Bars and the popular Pumpkin Spice Crumb Bars.
This time, I added homemade apple butter, shredded apple and drizzled the finished product with sweet caramel glaze. Best idea ever!
Caramel Apple Crumb Bars Ingredients:
- butter
- brown sugar
- milk
- powdered sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- baking soda
- salt
- sour cream
- granulated sugar
- flour
- egg
- vanilla extract
- apple butter or applesauce
- Granny Smith apple
APPLE BUTTER
I used my homemade apple butter in this recipe. You can sub it with applesauce. If you will use store-bought apple butter, the filling will be a tad darker then the one in my photos.
MORE CRUMB BARS RECIPES:
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀
Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
Ingredients
!for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoon milk
- ½ cup powdered sugar
!for the crust:
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted, cooled
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
!for the filling:
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ c apple butter or applesauce
- ½ medium Granny Smith apple shredded
Instructions
to make the glaze:
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat.
- Add sugar and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of milk.
- Heat to boil.
- Take of the heat, cool for 5 minutes. Transfer into a medium mixing bowl.
- Cool to lukewarm, about 30 minutes.
- If the sauce hardens, microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar and whisk. If the mixture is crumbly, add another tablespoon of warm milk.
- Whisk until drizzling consistency.
to make the crust:
- Grease an 8" square pan. Line with parchment paper and grease the sides and the bottom. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk melted butter with sugar. Add remaining ingredients and stir everything until a thick dough forms. Reserve ¾ of a cup for the crumb topping.
- Press the remaining dough onto the bottom of prepared pan.
to make the filling:
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk all ingredients until smooth.
- Pour over the crust.
- Top with little bits of the reserved dough to make the crumb topping.
- Bake the bars for 25 to 28 minutes.
- Cool completely in the pan.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce or glaze
jm says
Thank you for these recipes. We live overseas (Israel) and I can't read the labels on anything. I keep buying little cups of, what I believe to be, flavored yogurt (ie: I thought the one with the white and yellow label and a flower was vanilla, and I assumed that the ones with the pink label were strawberry). However, everything I have purchased is more like sour cream. Our fridge is overloaded with sour cream! Your recipes will help me to quickly and easily use up all of the sour cream I now possess before it goes bad!
CrunchyCreamySw says
Hi there! I am so glad I can help! I would probably shop the same way in a foreign country. Makes sense to me! 🙂 Let me know if you happen to try anything! Happy baking!
jm says
Thus far, we have made the Sour Cream Crumb Bars and the Caramel Apple Crumb Bars. Both are fantastic! My children loved them, and my over abundant supply of sour cream is being used up. I still have a few more crumb bar batches to make before it is all gone, but I am on my way and grateful for the recipes!
Nancy says
You already got snow where you are?! Craziness! We've have non-stop fog in Vancouver for over a week, hiding all the glorious sunshine that we're supposed to be having. It's been awfully dreary and depressing. A pan of these gorgeous apple crumb bars would set the world right again.
Lily R says
these sound so good! I have a bunch of apples I need to find uses for, might have to make these to bring to work!
theviewfromGreatIsland says
Is there such thing as a crumb bar-a-holic? I think I am one...these are calling to me!!
Georgia says
Anna, these crumb bars look so perfectly soft and festive for fall. Love your recipe and I'd love to try it soon!
Stacy says
Oh, I just adore crumb cake and your apple version in bars with caramel looks so scrumptious, Anna! Thanks for sharing, girl. I promise to pin!
wearenotmartha says
We have plentyyy of time for snow. And I definitely want to enjoy apple season a little more... These look awesome!!
Sues
Curry and Comfort says
I love how light and delicious these look. The crumb topping is amazing. 🙂
Kate@Diethood says
SNOW?! Where do you live? The North Pole?! 😀 This deliciousness would not have seen a knife to even become a "bar"... I would've attacked it by breaking it off, piece by piece, and shoveling it into my trap. MMMMMM! 🙂