If you love a yummy streusel, these apple crumble bars are going to make your day. They’re so easy and tasty and come together in minutes!
What is a Streusel?
Streusel is a lovely crumbly topping (or base) made of oats, flour, and sugar, as well as butter. If you haven’t tasted a streusel, you simply don’t know what you’re missing!
If you’ve followed me for a while you know that I love streusel. I put it in or on a lot of my baked goods, like my Banana Berry Loaf. And my Easy Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake. And my Cinnamon Streusel muffins with Pecans. (Shall I continue?)
I had a can of apple pie filling on hand and wanted to make something with a streusel topping.
Streusel is Everything, Especially in Fall Baking!
This time I decided to go with a streusel on the bottom layer, too, (not unlike my Blackberry Crumble Bars).
So, that’s what I did. I made a multi-purpose oat, brown sugar, and flour mixture, then added in some butter.
I pressed it into the bottom of a prepared pan and added the apples on top.
Maybe you don’t have apple pie filling on hand. That’s okay! In this post I’m going to offer you and alternative recipe below the first one, showing how to make your own apple pie filling from scratch!
But, I’m getting ahead of myself! Let’s start by talking about the ingredients you’ll need to make this simple dessert.
Apple Crumble Bar Ingredients (using pie filling)
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need. These are such simple ingredients. You might already have them on hand!
- apple pie filling
- all purpose flour
- quick oats
- butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- caramel
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- apple pie spice (optional)
How to Make Apple Crumble Bars from Scratch
This is such a simple recipe, y’all! I was surprised at how easily it came together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish and line it with a piece of parchment paper.
Place the pie filling, cinnamon, and apple pie spice in a bowl and mix together.
Using a knife, cut the apple pieces into smaller pieces.
Stir in the caramel and set aside.
In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and oats.
Mix well.
Add softened butter to the dry ingredients, mixing until it’s crumb-like. You can use a pastry cutter for this process if you like, or a blending fork. (You’re looking for coarse crumbs here.)
Put 2/3 of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. I forgot the parchment paper and paid a price for that mistake after I decided to refrigerate my bars. The caramel caused them to stick.
Press down the filling.
Put the apple filling on top of the unbaked crust.
Spread it until it’s even.
Loosely sprinkle the remaining crumble topping on the apples.
Place in preheated oven and bake for 35 – 45 minutes or until golden brown and set.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
When the bars are cool, you can cut them into squares.
These are good warm or cold. (They’re also delicious with whipped dream or vanilla ice cream.)
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or tightly covered in plastic wrap. I do not recommend freezing this dessert.
Alternative Recipe:
If you don’t happen to have pie filling on hand, don’t stress. You can make apple mixture using the following. (Full listing of ingredients can be found in the card at the bottom of the post.)
- large apples, peeled and chopped (pink lady, gala, or any other you like)
- butter
- brown sugar
- water
- cinnamon
- apple pie spice
- Cornstarch to thicken (1-2 tablespoons)
How to Make this Homemade Pie Filling
Place apples, butter, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and spices in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer.
Cook for 4-5 minutes until apples begin to soften.
In a small bowl whisk together the 2 tablespoons of water and some cornstarch (1-2 tablespoons) into a slurry. You might have to add more water to thin it out so that you can mix it well.
Work the slurry into the apples and simmer for a minute or two, stirring well.
What to Expect from this Dessert
I’ll tell you guys the truth: I saw a similar recipe online but it called for simmering apples on the stovetop.
I had plenty of apples on hand but I wasn’t feeling it. So, I decided a can of pie filling would have to do.
I figured these would be similar to my Apple Pie bars, but those start with a box of cake mix on the bottom layer.
Me? I love oats. Like, I love, love, love them. I add them to my homemade streusel and I knew this recipe would resemble that one, so I had a feeling I would love these. (Check out that apple layer!)
Trust me, they did not disappoint! Those apples cooked up so beautifully and so did the crumble crust. I was particularly fond of the sprinkling of crumble on top.
If you’re looking for a quick, easy dessert, especially during the holiday season, this one will be a real crowd pleaser.
And, unlike so many bars recipe, you don’t have to pre-bake the crust. It all comes together in minutes.
Variations on this Recipe
Peaches: Peaches are delicious in a cobbler and this dessert definitely has that feel (but in bar form). So, add a can of peach pie filling in place of apple, no problem! (You can use the exact same spices.)
Blackberry: I love blackberries, which is why I did a variation of this recipe (Blackberry Crumble Bars). They’re delicious!
Cherry Pie Filling: I mean. . .c’mon. Cherry crumble bars? I’m thinking those would be absolutely delicious! Just skip the spices and caramel.
Pecans: Add pecans to the crumb topping. (I think the added crunch would be luscious!)
Coconut: I think that coconut would be amazing in this recipe!
Coconut Pecan Frosting: Place a full can underneath the apple pie filling before baking. Delicious!
Lemon juice: If you’re using fresh apples you might want to add a dash of lemon juice.
Other Apple Desserts from Out of the Box Baking
If it’s apple season and you’re looking for great recipes to bake, we’ve got you covered!
- Apple Snickerdoodle Dump Cake
- Luscious Apple Banana Bread
- Old-Fashioned Apple Fritters
- Easy Apple Pie with Homemade Crust
- Apple Pie Coffee Cake
That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this delicious apple crisp bars recipe. It’s absolutely perfect for the fall season. (Or any season for that matter!)
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you’re at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
See this recipe at
Learn more about doctored cake mixes, the theme of this blog.
For the master list of all doctored cake mix recipes on this site, visit Doctored Cake Mix Recipes, Master List.
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Delicious Apple Crumble Bars
If you love a yummy streusel, these apple crumble bars are going to make your day. They’re so easy and tasty and come together in minutes!
Ingredients
- OPTION ONE (with pie filling)
- 1 can apple pie filling
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 1/2 cups butter (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 1/4 cup caramel
- 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice (optional)
- OPTION TWO (DIY pie filling)
- If you don’t happen to have pie filling on hand, don’t stress. You can make pie filling using the following:
- 3 large apples, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon apple pie spice
- 2 Tablespoons water
- Cornstarch to thicken (1-2 tablespoons
Instructions
- OPTION ONE: WITH PIE FILLING: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Line with parchment paper and grease (or butter) again.
- Prep your canned pie filling: Place the pie filling, cinnamon, and apple pie spice in a bowl and mix together.
- Using a knife, cut the apple pieces into smaller pieces.
- Stir in the caramel and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and oats. Mix well.
- Add softened butter, mixing until it’s crumb-like.
- Put 2/3 of the mixture in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Press it down.
- Put the apple pie filling on top of the unbaked crust. Spread it until it’s even.
- Loosely sprinkle the remaining crumble on top.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until golden brown and set.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. - When the bars are cool, you can cut them into squares.
- These are good warm or cold. (They’re also delicious with whipped dream or vanilla ice cream.)
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or tightly covered in plastic wrap. I do not recommend freezing this dessert.
- OPTION TWO: DIY PIE FILLING: Place apples, butter, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons water, and spices in a saucepan on the stove and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes until apples begin to soften.
- In a small bowl whisk together the 2 tablespoons of water and some cornstarch (1-2 tablespoons) into a slurry. You might have to add more water to thin it out so that you can mix it well.
- Work the slurry into the apples and simmer for a minute or two, stirring well.
- Follow the rest of the instructions the same.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 235mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 32gProtein: 2g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
Delicious Apple Crumble Bars - Out of the Box Baking - Apple News
Wednesday 6th of September 2023
[…] apple pie filling · all purpose flour · quick oats · butter (salted or unsalted, your choice) · caramel · brown sugar · cinnamon · apple pie spice (optional).View full source […]