Skip Thanksgiving Pie! 🥧 Spiced Apple Bars are the Perfect Fall Dessert!
I’m not much of a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving sweets. 🤷🏻♀️ Sure, I love a slice of pecan pie…but my ideal holiday dessert spread includes other fun options like Pumpkin Cheesecake or a BIG platter of bars.
We’re kind of crazy for dessert bars here in the Midwest – there’s something so endearing about them! – and I especially love making a pan for holiday celebrations. They’re perfect for feeding a crowd and have none of the fuss of baking traditional pie.
This easy apple pie bar recipe comes straight from my Mom’s kitchen! It’s one of my all-time favorites during the fall months with layers of flaky homemade pie crust, tender spiced apples, and a super crumbly walnut-oat topping for extra texture.
The flavors are incredible, but the textures – flaky, tender, and crunchy-crisp – are what make this recipe really special. The crust is light and delicate but also sturdy for toppings (like a generous scoop of ice cream! 😋).
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One of the reasons I love Mom’s apple pie bars so much is they boast 3 beautiful layers of flavor and texture – tender, flaky pie crust, tender and lightly sweetened spiced apples, and a crunchy walnut crumble. These 3 components come together to create the perfect fall dessert, and they couldn’t be easier to prepare!
Flaky Apple Pie Bar Crust
Homemade crust makes any dessert extra delicious – it’s hard to beat buttery, flaky pastry! If you’ve never made a traditional pie crust from scratch, no worries – it’s really the simplest thing, especially if you have a food processor!
Prepping pie dough in a food processor is a game-changer! For coveted tender and flaky results, it’s essential to avoid overworking pastry and pie dough. An overworked dough often results in a tough pie crust because the more you work with it, the more you develop the flour’s natural glutens and soften the butter. A food processor combines all the ingredients quickly, eliminating the need to handle the dough at all. It’s a great shortcut that guarantees tender, flaky pastry every time!
To make the apple pie bar crust in a food processor…
Pulse the dry ingredients. Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of your food processor and pulse quickly – just a few seconds until they’re combined.
Add the cold butter. Pulse in cubes of butter until the pieces are broken up and coated in flour. Remember! ⇢ Large pieces of butter help create a flaky crust – there’s no need to pulse for too long here!
Slowly add cold milk. Pulse constantly as you do, working slowly just until a loose dough forms. Tip! ⇢ You may not need all the milk! Only use what you need to get a wet yet crumbly dough texture.
Chill. Be sure to keep the dough chilled until you’re ready to assemble the apple pie bars. It can’t be overstated how important it is for the butter in the dough to stay super cold! Why? ⇢ If the butter softens or melts too much, it yields a greasy pastry. Cold butter expands in the heat of the oven to create big, beautiful, tender flakes.
Spiced Apple Filling and Crumble Topping
The combination of tender apples and a crunchy crumble topping is one of the main reasons I love this apple pie bars recipe so much. These 2 apple pie bar layers provide the perfect contrasting textures!
Choosing the Best Apples for Apple Pie Bars
We prefer using Granny Smith in this apple pie bars recipe because they’re firm (so they don’t get too mushy in the oven) and they have a beautiful tart flavor (which helps balance the sweetness of these bars.) Other great options are Honeycrisp (Minnesota’s signature!), golden delicious, or pink lady.
Spiced Apple Filling. ⇢ Peel and thinly slice the apples, then toss them with brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little flour. The flour helps absorb the natural juices of the apples, which helps prevent the pie bars from getting soggy as they bake. Want to mix things up a bit? ⇢ Swap out the cinnamon for Chai Spice for extra fall flavor!
Walnut Crumble Topping. ⇢ Combine the extra-thick rolled oats in a medium bowl with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, then work cold butter into the dry ingredients. This should create an oat mixture with big, clumpy pieces, which get delightfully browned and crispy in the oven as the apple pie bars bake! Finish by tossing in the walnuts.
Assembly and Baking
Once all 3 layers are prepared, all that’s left to do is assemble the apple pie bars and get them in the oven.
Press out the pie bars crust. Use your fingers to press the dough across the bottom of a rimmed sheet pan. Aim for creating an even layer of pie crust without any cracks or holes.
Tip! ⇢ If the dough starts to warm too much as you handle it (you’ll notice your hands begin to feel a little greasy and you’ll really begin to smell the butter), pop the sheet pan into the freezer for a few minutes. Remember, the dough needs to stay nice and cold for the best tender and flaky results!
Layer on the spiced apples. Arrange the sugary apple slices in a single row from end to end. I like to overlap them slightly so there’s no gap in the apples!
Finish with walnut crumble. Scatter a generous amount of walnut crumble over the spiced apples, creating an even layer that covers the fruit.
Bake the apple pie bars. Transfer the sheet pan to a 375 degree F oven and bake 45-50 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown. You’ll notice the apple juices bubbling around the edges of the pan – this means they’re tender and cooked through too!
I can’t wait for you to try Mom’s Apple Pie Bars! They’re just as delicious as any classic apple pie with none of the fuss – a major fall baking win!
If you do give them a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE hearing about and seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy baking!
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Flaky Apple Pie Bars with Walnut Crumble
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 32 bars 1x
- Category: Pies, Desserts
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Description
If there’s one thing Midwesterners are kinda crazy for, it’s dessert bars. There’s something so endearing about baking a big batch of bars to share with the people you love – especially for a holiday celebration.
This Easy Apple Pie Bars recipe comes straight from my mom’s kitchen. It’s one of my all-time favorite fall desserts and I’m excited to share it with you!
One of the reasons they’re so special are their 3 layers of texture: tender spiced apples, a hearty and crunchy walnut-oat crumble topping, and the most delicate and flaky homemade crust. For an especially flaky crust, be sure to work the dough as minimally as possible – I like using a food processor, which makes it really easy to quickly get the dough just right.
I love serving these bars warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla or salted caramel ice cream. It’s the perfect low-fuss sweet treat for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or any fall celebration!
Ingredients
Apple Pie Bars Filling:
- 3 pounds Granny Smith apples (approx. 8-10), peeled and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Crust:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 16 tablespoons), diced into small cubes
- ⅔ cup cold milk
Walnut Crumble Topping:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick or 8 tablespoons), softened
- ¾ cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Line a rimmed half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Gather and prep all ingredients according to the Ingredients List above, e.g. peel and slice apples, dice cold butter for the crust and set it in the fridge, chop walnuts, etc.
- Prepare the walnut crumble topping: In a large bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, mixing to combine well. Add the butter, using your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until the oat mixture holds together in nice, big clumpy pieces. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Set aside.
- Prepare the apple pie bars filling: In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss to combine well, ensuring the apples are evenly coated with brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Prepare the crust: In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a handful of times to quickly bring the mixture together. Pull the diced cold butter out of the fridge and add it to the food processor. Pulse it into the flour until the butter begins to cut into the flour mixture – some pieces of butter will be very small and coated with flour (it will look like fluffy parmesan cheese!), and some pieces of butter will still be large, which is ideal for a tender, flaky crust. While pulsing constantly, slowly and gradually add just enough cold milk to form a loose dough. The dough should be slightly wet to the touch, with pieces of butter still visible. (Alternately, if you do not have a food processor, you can mix everything in a large bowl, using a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dough.)
- Assemble the apple crumble pie bars: Transfer the dough mixture to the prepared sheet pan. Working quickly, use your fingers to press the crust dough such that it evenly covers the entire bottom of the pan. If the mixture gets too warm (you’ll notice your fingers feeling oily), you can transfer it to the freezer for a few minutes to chill back down. Toss the sliced apples with the sugary juices at the bottom of the bowl, then starting at one end of the crust, arrange the sliced apples in a single overlapping row spanning to the opposite end. Repeat until the entire crust is completely and evenly covered. Sprinkle the walnut crumble over the apples in an even layer.
- Bake the apple pie bars: Place the apple pie bars in the oven & bake 45-50 minutes, until until the apples are tender, the filling juices are bubbling around the edges, and the crumble is golden.
- Serving: Allow to cool slightly, at least 20 minutes, before slicing and serving. Mom serves these pie bars warm, topped with a generous scoop of vanilla or salted caramel ice cream. Enjoy!
Equipment
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Extra Thick Rolled Oats
Buy Now →Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
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- Storage: Given their crumbly topping, these apple pie bars are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, though leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Cool completely and transfer to an airtight container, then store in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave as desired.
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Since there is just two of us I made with 1/4 sheet pan. Awesome recipe. Thanks
So glad to hear it, Cal!
Do you think the crust could be made dairy free? I could definitely use dairy free butter but I’m not sure about the milk. Looks good though!
Hi Jacqueline – I’ve not specifically tested a dairy-free version of the crust, so I can’t say with certainty. If you were to try, I would suggest using full-fat coconut milk vs another alt milk like almond/oat. Let me know if you end up giving it a go!