Addictive Dutch Apple Bars Recipe (Apple Pie Bars)
This addictive Dutch Apple Bars recipe features tons of apples, a brown sugar shortbread crust, and a buttery brown sugar crumb topping! Top these apple pie bars with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for your go-to easy dessert that’s perfect all year long or for your holiday dessert table!
I LOVE apple desserts. In my (humble) opinion, apples and cinnamon were made for each other! AND they’re right up there in my book with pumpkin desserts (like these easy pumpkin pie bars).
But…when people think of apple desserts, good old classic apple pie often comes to mind. It’s America’s dessert! Unfortunately, I don’t always love dealing with apple pie because pie crust isn’t always my favorite thing.
So many years ago, I discovered how great apple crisp was – the parts I loved about apple pie (the apple filling and the crunchy streusel topping) without the crust. Making pie crust is a lot of work – and SO frustrating when it doesn’t turn out well.
Then more recently, I took apple crisp to another level by adding a crust to the bottom – not pie crust, though! A buttery shortbread crust. It’s my new favorite – and it’s addictive!
This recipe is kind of a twist on my Healthy Apple Crisp Recipe, which is the most delicious apple crisp I’ve ever had…with a guilt-free healthy twist!
Now, if you LOVE apple pie but don’t want the work, make these Dutch apple crisp bars, and you’ll NEVER miss the lack of pie crust!
Plus, this new recipe is SO easy! And it’s a delicious fall dessert that you won’t be able to resist.
You COULD say it’s apple pie at its best 😉
Do you love apple recipes? Be sure to check out this Caramel Apple Wrap (TikTok Tortilla Wrap Hack) and my Apple Nachos too!
Ingredients Needed For Apple Crisp Bars
Here’s everything you’ll need to make these apple crisp bars.
With only a handful of ingredients, you’ll create a dessert that’s simple enough to make all year long but also delicious and elegant enough to add to your holiday dessert table!
- Unsalted butter – you can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand. Whatever type of butter you use, make sure it’s cold and cut into small cubes so it will create those yummy crumbles
- Light brown sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Fresh apples – peeled and sliced into thin slices
- Granulated sugar – this is standard white sugar
- Cinnamon – you can use apple pie spice if you like that flavor, but I prefer simple cinnamon
- Salt
How To Make Dutch Apple Crisp Bars
Follow these steps to make this delicious dessert and the last apple bar recipe you’ll ever need!
Prepare For Baking
In an 8×8 glass rectangular pan, line the pan with two strips of parchment paper horizontally and vertically. Grease with butter or cooking spray.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Shortbread Crust
Mix together in a large bowl your butter and brown sugar. Mix until well incorporated – it should look light and fluffy.
Once incorporated, add in your vanilla. Mix well. Finish your crust by adding in your flour. Mix this flour mixture until well combined.
Add your bottom crust to the pan on the parchment paper. Using a spoon, or your finger, press the crust down trying to have it even across the bottom of the baking pan.
Bake in your preheated oven for about 12-14 minutes. It should look light brown and slightly puffed. Set aside.
Apple Filling
Take your apples, peel and slice them thin (about a quarter inch thick).
Add them to a large mixing bowl. Add to your sliced apples the flour and sugar. Mix well with a spoon, or your hands.
Pour the apple mixture over the crust in your pan evenly. Set aside.
Crumble Topping
Take a medium bowl, and combine flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix this butter-sugar mixture well.
Then using two knives, or a pastry cutter, cut in your cubes of cold butter until it becomes crumbly.
Spread over top of apples evenly.
Bake Your Apple Crumble Bars
Cook your bars uncovered for about 45 minutes. The topping should be golden. Let it cool.
Once cooled, remove the bars from the pan lifting the bottom parchment paper from the dish, and transfer to a plate or cutting board.
Cut into 12 squares. Serve and enjoy!
Apple Crisp Bars Variations To Try
Here are some different ways you can try these apple bars along with some ideas of how to serve them.
Crumble Topping – If you would prefer to have oats or chopped nuts in the crumble topping, feel free to replace 1/4 of the flour in the topping with oats or nuts. Want both? Replace 1/4 cup flour with oats and add 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
Sauce – Take these apple crumble bars to a whole new level by drizzling some caramel sauce on top. Oh. My. Word.
Topping – Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Mmmmm good. 😍
Caramel Apple Pie – Add a drizzle of caramel sauce to the apple slices or drizzle caramel sauce on top of the crust of the apple bars when you serve them.
Make Gluten-Free Apple Bars
If you want to make a gluten-free version, it’s simple to do. Replace the flour with a gluten-free flour. I prefer to use gluten-free options that can be substituted 1:1, but you can use whatever options you are the most comfortable working with.
FAQs
Because the two terms are often used interchangeably, it can be confusing whether they’re the same thing. So are they?
As it turns out they are…and they’re not. In the U.K. and in Australia, apple crumble and apple crisp are used interchangeably.
However, in the U.S. and Canada, the two dishes are slightly different. Apple crumble has a streusel topping (butter, sugar, and flour formed into coarse crumbs), while apple crisp adds quick oats or nuts in the topping.
So, technically if you want to be a stickler for details, these apple crisp bars are apple crumble bars. 🤷 But I tend to use the terms interchangeably myself, so there ya have it.
If you have any leftovers (which, really will you??), yes, they should be refrigerated. They’ll stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Or, freeze them in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 1 month.
Personally, I love using apples that hold their texture when baked, so a good crisp apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp is my go-to. I’ll also use Gala, Jonagolds, Braeburn, Rome, or Pink Lady.
I recommend staying away from softer apple varieties such as Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, etc.
Also, this recipe is developed with tart apples like Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples in mind. If you use a sweeter variety such as Honeycrisp or Jonagold, I recommend reducing the sugar amount a little bit OR adding a splash of lemon juice to the apple slices to create more depth of flavor.
This is a new family recipe that has quickly become one of our favorite apple desserts (and if you’ve ever tried my Streusel Apple Cream Cheese Pie, you KNOW that’s saying something)!
More Fall-Themed Delicious Treats
If you love these apple crisp bars, you won’t want to miss these other recipes!
Pin For Later!
Apple Crisp Bars Recipe
This addictive Apple Crisp Bars recipe features tons of apples, a brown sugar shortbread crust, and a buttery brown sugar crumb topping! Top with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for your go-to easy dessert!
Ingredients
- 4 cups apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 4-5 medium apples)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (147 g) all-purpose flour
Topping
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup all -purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Instructions
Preheat your oven and line your 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. (I like to use 2 layers of parchment paper for easy cleanup).
Crust
In a large bowl, mix together butter and brown sugar until it looks light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla. Mix well. Then add in your flour. Mix until well combined.
Add your crust to the pan on the parchment paper. Using a spoon, or your finger, press the crust down trying to have it even across the bottom of the pan.
Bake for about 12-14 minutes. It should look light brown and slightly puffed. Set aside.
Apple Filling
Peel and slice apples about a quarter-inch thick. Add them to a large bowl then add flour and sugar. Mix well with your hands.
Pour the apples evenly over the baked crust in your pan. Set aside.
Crumble Topping
Mix together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, add your cubes of chilled butter until it becomes crumbly.
Spread over the apples evenly.
Bake and Enjoy
Cook your bars uncovered for about 45 minutes. The topping should be golden. Let it cool.
Once cooled, cut into 12 squares. Serve and enjoy!
