Description
A delightful twist on traditional apple pie, these bars feature spiced apples topped with a luscious salted peanut butter caramel.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 medium apples, peeled and sliced (Granny Smith and Honeycrisp work well)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup brown sugar (for caramel)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (for caramel)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (for caramel)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare a 9×13-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Mix the sliced apples with lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and softened butter in a separate bowl to create a crumbly mixture.
- Press half of this mixture into the prepared baking dish as the base and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Make the salted peanut butter caramel by combining brown sugar, heavy cream, and butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Whisk in the peanut butter and sea salt until smooth after removing from heat.
- Layer the apple filling over the crust, followed by the remaining crust mixture, and drizzle with caramel.
- Bake for another 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
- Allow cooling for 20 minutes in the pan, then cut into squares and serve.
Notes
For dietary adaptations, substitute coconut oil for butter to make it vegan, or use gluten-free flour for a gluten-free option.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 22g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 15mg