These Apple Pie Bars are filled with apples, pears, and raisins, and topped with an oat crumble, for a fabulous dessert everyone at the table will love.
... plus tips for making any fruit bars that I've learned along the way.
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Jump to:
- โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- ๐ง Crust Ingredients + Notes
- ๐ง Filling Ingredients + Notes
- ๐ง Crumble Ingredients + Notes
- ๐ช Recommended Equipment
- ๐ Instructions Overview
- โฐ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- ๐ฉโ๐ณ Preparation Tips
- ๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
- ๐คทโโ๏ธ Apple Pie Bars FAQ
- ๐ More Recipes with Apple
- Apple Pie Bars (Recipe)
I've tried to make fruit bars a few times, but have never been terribly excited about the results. Well, except thatย first time, when I made fig bars all dressed up as a fig crostata. I was fresh from Italy and full of crostata ideas from all the pastry shops I visited, and they wereย fantastic. Little did I know that my bar making skills had just peaked.
I also had some great results with these lemon coconut shortbread squares, which I highly recommend if you like lemon bars.
But my crumble bars only, well, crumbled. They felt like little cobblers, which is NOT what I was hoping for.
The flavorsย were good, really-how can oneย can wrong with fruit, butter, sugar, and flour? But after another couple of failed attempts, I finally did a deep dive into serious research, experiments and note taking.
The result is this recipe for Apple Pie Bars. My husband thought they were so good, he wanted to take them to a popular cafe in town, The Depot, to see if they'd like to sell them. "We'll be rich!", he shouted.ย But between you and me,ย I think he was thinking up ways he could have them everyday for the rest of his life.
โค๏ธ Why you'll love this recipe
- If you love apple pie, you will love these apple pie bars.
- They allow you to enjoy apple pie with a crumble topping with only 3 or 4 bites, without committing to an entire piece of pie.
- All the components (crust, filling and crumble topping) can be made ahead, making it super easy to bake when you're ready.
- No fancy, hard to find ingredients.
๐ง Crust Ingredients + Notes
- All-purpose flour - I recommend King Arthur
- Cornstarch
- Kosher salt - I like Diamond Crystal
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese - optional, but it makes the dough easier to work with
- Ice water
๐ง Filling Ingredients + Notes
- Apples - I like Fuji, Honeycrisp and Braeburn apples
- Pears - (or use all apples)
- Unsalted butter
- Honey
- Kosher salt - I like Diamond Crystal
- Apple pie spices
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch - if needed
- Golden raisins
๐ง Crumble Ingredients + Notes
- Oats - rolled oats, not instant oats
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar - purchase, or make your own brown sugar!
- Kosher salt - I like Diamond Crystal
- Unsalted butter
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products and foods I use in my kitchen. This means that at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. To view my entire storefront of recommended kitchen tools and equipment, check out my shop on Amazon.
๐ช Recommended Equipment
- Kitchen scales - to weight the flour
- Mixing bowl
- Food processor - optional, for making the crust
- Wax paper - to make rolling out the dough easier
- Rolling pin
- 8.5" X 12" tart pan with removable bottom
- Aluminum foil or parchment paper
- Pie weights
- Chef's knife
- Dutch oven
- Immersion blender
๐ Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making these Apple Pie Bars are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Make the crust. Follow these directions for making the crust and lining a tart pan, which shows detailed photos of each step. The only real difference is that the crust for these Apple Pie Bars also uses a little cream cheese. This makes the dough easier to work with.
Line with foil or parchment paper, fill with pie weights and bake until lightly browned. The pie weights keep the crust from lifting up off the tart pan. Once it sets a little, remove the pie weights and the foil / parchment to allow the crust to brown more quickly.
Step 2
Prep the apples and pears. While the crust bakes, peel and core the apples and pears, and thinly slice.
Step 3
Make the filling. Melt the butter and honey together in a Dutch oven, and add the thinly sliced fruit.
Once the fruit completely softens, add the apple pie spice, salt and lemon juice. Simmer on low until the fruit filling is soupy.
Purรฉe roughly one-third to one-half of the filling using the immersible blender. If you don't have one, remove about one-third of the filling and purรฉe in a countertop blender. Stir the purรฉed filling back into the pot.
If there's a lot of liquid in the pot, add a pinch of cornstarch. Simmer and stir in the raisins.
Pour the filling into the baked crust.
Step 4
Make the crumble topping. Make the crumble topping, and spread it over the tart.
Step 5
Bake. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling, and the crumble topping is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the tart pan from the tart. Then cool for an additional 15 minutes before slicing into bars.
โฐ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Make the filling ahead of time, and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 - 5 days in a sealed container.
- Prepare the crust ahead of time up to baking it. Cover with plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to make the apple pie bars, slide it into a preheated oven, and bake according to the directions.
- Rub together the crumble topping in advance, and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 - 5 days.
๐ฉโ๐ณ Preparation Tips
- I always recommend weighing the flour.
- A buttery crust wants to crumble, and the cornstarch allows it to hold its shape when cutting it into bars, and when eating them as finger food.
- Adding cream cheese to the crust dough makes the dough easier to work with when rolling out, and fitting into a tart pan with sharp edges. It also helps to prevent crumbling.
- Par-baking the crust before adding the filling prevents it from getting soggy when it's filled and baked.
- Apple filling will have more depth of flavor with two kinds of apples. I used Fugi and Honey Crisp, and threw in some pears forย a contrast in texture. That said, feel free to stick with all apples if that's your preference.
- Cook the filling on the stove top until it's past the soupy stage. It shouldn't be dry, but if you draw a spoon through the middle of the cooked fruit, the line should remain intact for a few seconds.
- If your topping is small crumbles, and you plan these bars asย hand-held bars, thoroughlyย mixย 1 egg white into the crumble with your hands. It won't affect the flavor, and will hold the crumbles together when baked.
๐กIdeas for Possible Variations
You can also use all apples if that's your preference.
Double the crust recipe, and cut strips out of half of the dough to create a lattice top instead of a crumble topping as in these fig bars.
๐คทโโ๏ธ Apple Pie Bars FAQ
Can I use a different pan to make apple pie bars?
Yes. You can use a similar sized baking dish. I recommend lining the baking dish with foil, that drapes over the sides. An example of this is these chocolate chip cookie bars. This makes it much easier to lift out to slice into bars.
๐ More Recipes with Apple
Butternut Squash Casserole with Apples
Apple Galette with Cranberries
Double Crusted Apple Pie Galette
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Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox.ย Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
Apple Pie Bars (Recipe)
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 ounces all-purpose flour (2 cups)
- ยผ cup cornstarch
- ยพ teaspoon kosher salt
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese
- 4 - 5 tablespoons ice water
Filling
- 4 apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (~5 cups) Fuji, Honeycrisp, Braeburn apples are great for this recipe
- 3 pears peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons Apple Pie spice
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- โ teaspoon cornstarch (only if the filling is very soupy)
- ยฝ cup golden raisins
Crumble
- 1 cup oats
- โ cup all-purpose flour
- โ cup brown sugar
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
Crust
- Place the flour, cornstarch, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Swoosh it around a few times. Cut the butter into pieces no bigger than a tablespoon and add to the bowl along with the cream cheese. Pulse a few times until the butter is roughly pea sized. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture begins to come together as a dough.
- Spill the contents out onto a lightly floured workspace and knead the dough a few times to bring it into a solid dough. Flatten in a disk shape, wrap in wax paper, and chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.If you decide to chill it longer than the 2 hour minimum, place the disk in a sealed plastic baggie.
- Preheat the oven to 350หF.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper until itโs large enough to fit into an 8.5โ X 12โ rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom. Gentle fold the dough over the tart pan and lift each side up and tuck into the corners. Remove any excess dough and discard.
- Dock the dough by pricking with the prongs of a fork a whole bunch of times, and line with foil or parchment paper. Fill with either ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, and remove the pie weights and foil / parchment paper. The crust should be just starting to set. Bake for another 10 minutes until lightly browned.
Filling
- Prep the apples and pears and melt the butter with the honey in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the fruit and cook until very soft, about 15 - 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cornstarch and raisins, and simmer until for another 10 minutes until the filling thickens.
- Dip an immersion blender into the filling and whirl it around 7-8 times until roughly one-third of the apples and pears are broken up.If you donโt have an immersion blender, just remove one-third of the filling and pulse a few times in a food processor or countertop blender before returning it to the pot. If the filling is very soupy, add the cornstarch. Don't add more than โ teaspoon. You should be able to draw a line through the filling using a wooden spoon, and have the line hold for a few seconds.
- Stir in the raisins and cool.
Crumble
- Mix the Crumble ingredients together in a large bowl using your fingers to form a buttery crumble
Assemble
- Pour the Filling over the baked tart crust. Spread the Crumble over the top.
- Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, or until the Crumble begins to brown. Cool for 10 minutes before removing the tart bottom from the frame. Cool an additional 15 minutes before slicing into bars, if you can wait that long.
The Ninja Baker
Grrreat tips, Susan. Do believe you can pick your swagger back up. Your recipe is a keeper and has been filed for my yummies to-make list =)
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm having a couple little bars with my morning coffee right now ๐
Myles
Let's see: there should be enough left in the pan for breakfast and desert for the next four days, at least. Well, maybe three. Of course, withdrawal might be a problem. CM
The Wimpy Vegetarian
You might not be taking my portions into consideration here. Sweetie. ๐
cheri
Hi Susan, love these bars and the great little tips you shared with us. These are my favorite type of desserts to indulge in.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Me too. There's something about them that invites friends to sit down together with them, a cup of coffee or tea, and good conversation.
lizthechef
I so admire you for sticking with this - great results!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Liz! I'm so looking forward to seeing you in a few weeks!!
Laura Dembowski
I love making bars and I'm so glad you gave it another go because these are making my mouth water.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I can see now that it's a dangerous skill to acquire, Laura. I'm having a couple with my morning coffee, and I really want 2 more.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Liz!
Carla
I love that these are bars with actual pie crust and not just apple bars. Can't wait to try these!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks Carla! That's why I had to cut the cornstarch into the dough - otherwise they completely collapsed. But it was worth all the experiments ๐
Nichole C
This seriously screams Fall! I love this dish.
Christie
Scrumptious, just absolutely scrumptious, Susan! And LOVE those plates!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Christie! They were my great-aunt's. She collected them with matching cups and she gave me 2 of them before she died. I've treasured them since then. Sometimes I make some tea, just so I can bring them out ๐
apuginthekitchen
Oh wow Susan, love these bars. Mixing the pears and apples and that yummy crumb topping. Yep, would love one or more for breakfast or dessert. Perfect with a cup of coffee, Happen to have some applesauce I canned last year, will give this go. Great recipe.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Let me know how they work for you! I made another batch yesterday for a party last night and accidentally used self-rising flour for the crust. How cow what a mistake. It kept trying to puff up and end up super-super crumbly.
Liz
Well it looks like you've definitely mastered the fruit bar, Susan! These look AMAZING! And thanks for all the tips!
Lynda - TasteFood
A perfect fall dessert - and I echo Myles' vote for the Depot.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes, well, unfortunately they don't make themselves, and if I make my own crust, they're a bit of work. Not sure the Depot would pay me what I think my time would be worth making them .....
Choc Chip Uru
These bars give much more crust than an actual pie, so I love them more ๐
Delicious!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Shannon R
Thanks for the tips. I've had way too many fruit bar fails, I appreciate the help figuring this stuff out plus the awesome recipe.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
What is it about fruit bars? They should be so so easy - they look like they practically make themselves. But that crust is a tricky thing to make work for bars.
Cindys Recipes and Writings
I love your tips, Susan! I have troubles with the "crumbles" too!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I made these again yesterday and had an epic fail. I used self-rising flour by accident. Do not do this. They still tasted great, and they disappeared fast at a party last night, but man that crust was crumbly!
Stacy
I'm so glad you persisted, Susan. These bars are absolutely beautiful! They look like something a person would buy at a fancy bakery. Let your husband take them to the cafe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Stacy!!
Shaina
That crust looks amazing. And the crumble. This recipe is just screaming my name!
Courtney @ Neighborfood
Great tips! I'm planning to make a fruit tart later this week and I'm going to be using this crust recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Don't accidentally use self-rising flour for the crust like I did yesterday when I made them again for a party. Unless you want a super, super crumbly crust ๐
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I've never tried bars! I've stuck with easy old crisps and crumbles. Bars that stick together is a high bar :). But I did once make hand pies with a cream cheese crust and I was really impressed with how easy the dough was to work with, so I can imagine how it works here. Your writing is so good Susan, keep trying to get that cookbook!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much for the support and encouragement, Mary!!!
Jennie Schacht
These look fantastic. So autumnal. Thanks very much for the shout-out, especially in such esteemed company. I love your summation of "lessons learned" and I hope you found something helpful in Farmers' Market Desserts!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Your cookbook is one I go back to over and over again, Jennie!
Julie @ Texan New Yorker
This looks amazing! I totally screwed up apple pie bars last year, I'll have to try again soon. Your recipe sounds wonderful!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad I'm not the only one to struggle with fruit bars!
laurasmess
Argh, it is so frustrating when you have a particular thing in mind and it comes out of the oven as... well, a soupy mess! So sorry that you had to bin some of your creations but I guess the experience has made you all the wiser! Great tips here for baking fruit bars. These apple ones look PERFECT - as they say, the proof is in the pudding (or apple pie bar!). Great post Susan! x
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Laura! This is going to be a regular for me all fall ๐
Jennifer Miller
I'm craving this right now - sounds so YUMMY!!!
Rosemary
Recipe is delicious, love your tips especially the cornstarch for making perfect short bread-y crust. if I could attach a photo you'd see mine looks just like yours (but not as pretty photo!). Next time -- and there WILL be a next time -- I think I'll press the crust in, it was too hard to roll the chilled dough. and I might add a tsp or two of sugar to the crust, or less salt. Thank you Susan for inspiring me to make this recipe. My 92 year old dad is going to love it when I bring a piece to him tonight ๐
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Most recipes for the crust include a little sugar. I was going for a super buttery crust, but a little sugar would be great. I'm so excited you made them and you took your dad a piece last night!!! On a separate note, I made these again yesterday and did it as a press in, like I do for shortbread, and it worked great! I used the wrong kind of flour by accident, which cause new problems. All I can say is don't use self-rising flour for the crust. Or at least, don't do it in Tahoe at 7000 feet above sea level....
Sarah
LOVE apple pie and these bars are right up my alley
Marion@Life Tastes Good
These bars sound delicious and thanks for sharing the great tips! I'd love to give these a try - yummmm
Terra
Gorgeous! Since I am an apple freak, I love this recipe! I love the idea of Apple pie in a bar form! Yum, Hugs, Terra
Colleen
These are seriously delicious bars! We loved the crumble on top and having pie in bar form is a new favorite here. Thanks!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you liked them!
Veronika
I really appreciated that you can make both the filling and the crumble ahead of time. It saved me so much time! I love everything apple pie flavored and these bars are definitely my new favorite!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yes! It can make such a difference in managing our time! I love anything apple pie too ๐
Amanda Mason
This turned out amazing! I was nervous because I struggle when making anything tart based but wow - it was pretty simple to make and the flavors were just out of this world! I'll be making this all this fall and winter season!!
Lisa
Such a great fall dessert! And next time I am adding a scoop of ice cream to mine!
Cathleen
These bars are perfect! I have so many apples that this is perfect to make! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe ๐
Amy Liu Dong
A kind of dessert that is perfect to be paired with coffee.
I am so excited to make this for everyone!
Sharon
These apple pie bars are a dessert that is perfect for fall. The crumble on top is a delicious layer on top.
Lauren Michael Harris
These apple pies bars were so good! We usually make apple pie and apple crisp, but we picked SO many apples this year I had to find some new recipes. Glad I came along this one - it's a keeper!
Michele
I made these for dessert the other night and my family raved about them. I served them with some vanilla ice cream. They were amazing!