Easy Caramel Apple Bars Recipe

Name: My Easy Caramel Apple Bars Taste Like a Day at the Fair
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 125 min
Ingredients: Nonstick cooking spray; 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened; 1/2 cup (107g) light brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 2 large apples (about 14 ounces total), cored, peeled, and sliced into thin wedges; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 2 teaspoons apple pie spice; 1 cup dulce de leche or high-quality jarred caramel sauce, divided

Caramel apple dessert bar with crumble topping on a plate — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

I grew up just down the street from the local fairgrounds. While I appreciated the rides, the games, and the chance to meet the farm animals at the Cumberland Fair every year, from an early age, I was really in it for the food.

No excursion to the fair was complete without getting my hands on a caramel apple, smartly displayed in the food trailer windows so their shiny caramel coating reflected the flashing lights of the nearby midway. Caramel and apple are still one of my favorite fall flavor combinations, and while I’ve moved far away from the county fair I grew up nearby to, I always look forward to baking a caramel apple-inspired treat every year.

These caramel apple bars feature a brown sugar shortbread crust which doubles as a crumb topping, and are filled with spiced apple wedges coated in velvety dulce de leche. Before serving, the bars are drizzled with even more dulce de leche for that shiny caramel apple look.

With no pie crust in sight and skipping the from-scratch caramel, these bars are worthy of a blue ribbon not just for taste, but also for how easy they are to make.

Caramel apple dessert bars with a crumb topping — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Use Store-Bought Dulce de Leche

Instead of making caramel from scratch, I make these apple bars with store-bought dulce de leche, a Latin American caramelized milk sauce with a rich and creamy caramel flavor. Dulce de leche is thick enough to slice without oozing out of the bars too much.

Look for Nestle La Lechera or Eagle Brand dulce de leche next to the sweetened condensed milk or in the Latin foods section. If your local grocery store doesn’t carry it, try a Latin market or look online. A jar of high-quality caramel sauce can work here, too.

The Best Apples for Baking

When baking an apple dessert, I always reach for crisp and tangy Granny Smith apples. In these bars, the tart flavor of the Granny Smiths contrasts with the sweet dulce de leche, and their firm texture prevents them from breaking down too much when baked.

While Granny Smiths are my favorite, you can swap them for other baking-friendly apple varieties, such as Pink Lady, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Gala.

Caramel apple bars with a crumbly topping arranged on parchment paper — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

How to Get Clean Slices

The crumbly shortbread and gooey dulce de leche give these bars a messy appearance. To get the cleanest slices, after drizzling the bars with dulce de leche, I chill them in the fridge for an hour before slicing. I recommend using a long, sharp chef’s knife and wiping the knife clean between each cut.

Customizing My Easy Caramel Apple Bars

These bars have that classic caramel apple flavor, but every once in a while, I like to mix it up with a few extras. Here are a few of my favorite variations:

For a salted caramel flavor, add a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt after drizzling the tops of the bars with dulce de leche.
Add 1/2 cup of chopped nuts to the reserved crumble topping. My favorites are pecans or walnuts.
Swap the spices in the caramel apple filling. Instead of apple pie spice blend, keep it simple by substituting it with 1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite baking spice. I love these bars with a teaspoon of ground cardamom.
Double the recipe and bake in a 9x13-inch pan. Par-bake the crust for 18 minutes. After assembling, bake the bars for 45 to 55 minutes until the crumble is lightly browned.

Plate of caramel apple bars topped with drizzle and crumble served on light blue plates — Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Easy Caramel Apple Bars

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Cooling Time: 60 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins

Servings 12

Yield 1 (8x8) pan

If you don’t have apple pie spice, you can substitute it with pumpkin pie spice, or use 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice.

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For the crust and crumb topping

Nonstick cooking spray
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (107g) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

For the filling and topping

2 large apples (about 14 ounces total), cored, peeled, and sliced into thin slices
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons apple pie spice
1 (13.4)-ounce can dulce de leche or high-quality jarred caramel sauce (just over 1 cup), divided

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with a parchment paper sling, making sure the excess hangs over on two sides (this helps with lifting the bars out of the pan later).
Make the dough:

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the softened butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and baking powder, and mix on low speed until a crumbly dough forms, about 30 seconds. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the butter is fully incorporated.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Bake the crust:

Transfer 2/3 of the dough (about 2 1/2 unpacked cups or 430g) to the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Reserve the rest of the dough for the crumble topping. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Meanwhile, make the caramel apple filling:

While the crust bakes, make the filling. Toss the apple wedges with the cornstarch and apple pie spice to coat. Add 2/3 cup of the dulce de leche and stir to combine. Set aside until the crust is done baking.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Assemble and bake:

Remove the crust from the oven. Carefully spread the apple caramel filling into an even layer on top of the par-baked crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the crumble is lightly browned, 30 to 35 minutes.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Cool:

Remove the pan from the oven. Run a small offset spatula or a butter knife along the edges without parchment paper to loosen them from the pan. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan, about 1 hour.

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Drizzle with dulce de leche:

Once the bars are cool, carefully lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper. Heat the remaining 1/3 cup dulce de leche in the microwave in 15-second bursts until thin enough to drizzle. Use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the tops of the bars. Slice and serve.

Store the sliced bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Love the recipe? Leave us stars and a comment below!

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
361	Calories
18g	Fat
47g	Carbs
5g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	361
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g	22%
Saturated Fat 11g	54%
Cholesterol 48mg	16%
Sodium 152mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 47g	17%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 25g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 2mg	11%
Calcium 118mg	9%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 170mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.