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Salted Caramel Apple Crisp Bars

Salted caramel apple crisp bars with a buttery oat crust and crunchy oat streusel top, layered over warm cinnamon apples and finished with salted caramel drizzle. Bake until golden and bubbly for that classic crisp-on-top, tender-in-the-middle texture.
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Prep Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crust and streusel
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
Apple filling
  • 4 apples, peeled and diced
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar, for apples
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, for apples
Caramel finish
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce
  • 1 Flaky sea salt, for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the oat crumb
  1. Mix all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, and brown sugar together in the baking dish, then cut in cold unsalted butter until the mixture turns crumbly.
  2. Press two-thirds of the crumb mixture into a greased baking dish in an even layer to form the crust, then keep the remaining crumb for the topping.
Build the layers
  1. Toss apples with granulated sugar, for apples and cinnamon, for apples until coated, then spread the apples over the crust.
  2. Sprinkle the remaining oat crumb mixture over the apples as a streusel topping so the surface looks evenly covered.
Bake and finish
  1. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes until the bars are golden and bubbly around the edges.
  2. Cool slightly, then drizzle caramel sauce over the warm bars and sprinkle flaky sea salt, for topping before slicing.

Notes

Pro tip: Let the bars cool completely before slicing so they hold together neatly. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze baked bars for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, use reduced-sugar caramel sauce while keeping the oat crumb and apple filling the same.