Apple Pie Bars

Apple Pie Bars:

Base:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt

Apple Filling:

• 3 apples, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Crumble Topping:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare the shortbread cookie base. Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until just combined. Press the dough into a 9x13in baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray).
3. Bake the base for 18-20 minutes. It will start to firm up, but shouldn’t be brown on the edges.
4. While the base bakes, prepare the apple filling. Gently toss the apples (I like to use honeycrisp, but use whichever apple your heart desires!) with the flour, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated. Set aside.
5. To make the crumble topping, mix together the melted butter and sugars. Add the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt and mix until well combined.
6. When the base is done baking, take it out of the oven. Spread the apple mixture on top, then crumble the oat topping on top of the apples.
7. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 18-20 minutes, until crumble topping starts to brown.
8. Let the bars cool in the pan completely before slicing.

With a buttery shortbread crust, a simple apple filling, and crunchy oat crumble, these bars give you everything there is to love about apple pie, without the fuss of having to make an apple pie!

So easy and delicious, you’ll be making them all season long!