Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Bars
These Salted Caramel Apple Crumble Bars are buttery, gooey, sweet, salty, and smell like cinnamon-kissed apple orchards the moment they hit the oven fall baking magic in every bite!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 medium apples peeled and diced (Granny Smith + Honeycrisp are ideal)
- ½ cup salted caramel sauce store-bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Optional: flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
- In a large bowl, stir melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together.
- Add flour and mix until the dough is crumbly but holds together when pressed.
- Press two-thirds of the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.
- In a separate bowl, toss diced apples with cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Evenly layer spiced apples over the crust.
- Drizzle caramel sauce over the apple layer generously.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the apples and caramel.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is golden and edges are bubbling.
- Let bars cool completely before lifting out and slicing.
Notes
Let the bars cool fully before cutting to avoid a gooey mess. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt after baking for a perfect salty-sweet finish.