Favorite Apple Pie Bars Recipe

Our Favorite Apple Pie Bars Recipe is really a simple recipe that makes for a delicious dessert.

Made with fresh apples that are baked between a buttery crust, these flavorful bars are basically apple pies in a bar.

What are apple pie bars?

Apple pie bars is basically apple pie that is baked in a baking pan or dish in bar form rather than in a pie plate or dish.

I like that these bars are made with fresh apples.

Have you tried my Easiest Ever Apple Dump Cake

It takes just six ingredients and less than an hour to make that apple pie dump cake. Both this recipe for apple pie bars and that recipe for apple pie dump cake are tasty apple desserts that are easy to make.

Apple pie spice is used to season the apple to a pie-like perfection. You can find apple pie spice here.

Why we love these pie bars.

This recipe is the perfect combination of a bar and a pie. If you are not sure if you want a pie or a bar, this recipe can be your happy compromise.

Here is what else we like about this recipe.

• This recipe is easy to make.
• Making the crust is easy and really adds to the pie-like taste of these bars.
• The glaze that goes on top of the bars offers a nice sweet balance to the baked apples.
• Apple pie bars smell amazing while they are baking in your oven.
• Personalizing this recipe is as easy as changing up your apples or adding additional spices.
• This is the perfect recipe for dessert, potlucks, or even for a bake sale.

Ingredients needed to make dessert bars made with apples.

Pie Crust.

• Flour. Regular all purpose flour.
• Sugar. A small amount of sugar adds flavor to the crust.
• Butter. Your butter should be cold and cut into cubes. If you are using unsalted butter you can add a teaspoon of salt to the flour.
• Water. Room temperature tap water.

Filling.

• Sugar. Granulated sugar should be used.
• Flour. A small amount of flour is added as a thickener.
• Apple Pie Spice. Adds a wonderful flavor to the baked apples.
• Vanilla Extract. Helps to bring out the other flavors.
• Apples. Granny Smith and Gala apples are used. The apples should be cored and diced.

Glaze.

• Powdered Sugar
• Milk
• Vanilla Extract

Tips for making the best apple pie bars.

Two kind of baking apples are used in this recipe to get the perfect balance of flavors. Granny Smith apples are commonly used in making pie because they are a crisp and tart apple. Gala apples on the other hand are very sweet, balancing out the tart Granny Smith.

More helpful tips for you.

1. Do you have to use Granny Smith and Gala apples in this recipe? You can use the apples of your choice as long as they are apples that can hold up to baking with (not all apples bake well).
2. Use real butter that is cold to make for a flaky crust.
3. Even better, refrigerating the dough overnight before making it into a crust will help make that flaky crust.
4. If your filling seems too thin you can add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to thicken in out.
5. Can you use a store-bought pie crust? As long as you can fit it into your baking pan, it should work.
6. Do you have to peel the apples before using them in this recipe? This is entirely up to you. Some folks prefer pie without the skin and use an apple peeler to remove it.

How to make Glazed Apple Pie Bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes .
Bake Time: 45-50 minutes .
Servings: 12 .

1. Start by making the crust. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, and butter until you have a smooth dough that holds together. (You can do this step by hand in a bowl using a pastry cutter).
2. Transfer your dough to a clean flat work surface that has been lightly dusted with flour. Knead the the dough five times, rotating it as needed. Then divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours.
3. Preheat your oven to 375. Then use a rolling pin to roll out one of the refrigerated dough halves on a lightly flour dusted work surface into a 9x13-inch rectangle.
4. Gently pick up the crust and press it into the bottom of your baking pan with the edges curved about a quarter to half in up the sides. My bars were made in a 9x13" pan. baking dish
5. Make the filling by placing the sugar, flour, and apple pie spice in a large bowl and using a whisk combine them. Add the apple pieces to the bowl and toss the ingredients so that the apple pieces are covered with the dry ingredients. Then drizzle the vanilla extract over the apples and toss again.
6. Evenly spread the filling over your crust to about a quarter inch of the edges. Then roll out the remaining dough and place it on top of the apple filling in the pan. Press the edges of both of the dough layers together so that the apple filling is sealed in.
7. Bake the bars for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.
8. To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Then drizzle this over the bars.

Expert Tip👉 Rolling out the crust dough between two pieces of wax or parchment paper will make for an easier clean up and smooth crust.

How to store homemade apple bars.

Once these bars have fully cooled that can be stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped. When properly stored they should keep for about five days refrigerated or up to a couple of months when frozen.

You may also be interested in these ideas.

• Creamy Turtle Ice Cream Recipe- (no churn)
• Favorite Rocky Road Cupcakes
• S’More Cookie Bars Recipe
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Fudge
• Best Easy Strawberry Blondies Recipe
• Apple Pie Crescent Roll Recipe

Print the recipe for Our Favorite Apple Pie Bars.

Our Favorite Apple Pie Bars Recipe, sweet and spicy baked apples on a buttery crust and topped with a vanilla glaze.

Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.