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Apple Bars are reminiscent of a blondie with their chewy texture, an apple cake with bites of fresh apple throughout, and a snickerdoodle with a topping of sugar and apple pie spice! These bars are a delicious dessert or afternoon snack, but you’ll probably want to sneak some for breakfast, too.
This post is sponsored by Challenge Butter. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make My Baking Addiction possible.
This is probably the most “mom” statement ever, but here goes:
My girl is growing up way too fast. I can’t stand it. I feel like I’m going to blink and she’ll be driving.
Thankfully, she still does things that remind me that she’s still a little girl, at least for a bit longer.
Like her excitement over eating apples she picked herself. The girl loves all apples, but gets SO excited when she’s picked them herself.
So I love getting in the kitchen with her and whipping up some after-school snacks using those apples she’s picked. Sometimes it’s Apple Cinnamon Muffins, sometimes it’s Apple Pie Bread, and lately it’s these Apple Bars.
APPLE BLONDIE BARS
Sometimes after I make a recipe I’ve fallen in love with, I struggle with what to call it.
For example, these Apple Bars remind me of blondies because of their rich, buttery flavor and chewy texture.
But they also remind me of apple cake, with pieces of fresh apple in every bite.
But then again, they also remind me of snickerdoodles (or perhaps Snickerdoodle Blondies) with their topping of sugar and apple pie spice.
Somehow, I thought calling them “Apple Blondie Snickerdoodle Cake Bars” might be a bit confusing, so Apple Bars it is.
While I love serving these bars as an after-school treat for Elle – let’s be real, kids deserve all the yummy snacks after making it through a school day this year – they also make an amazing dessert.
Drizzle them with a little Salted Caramel Sauce, top them with a dollop of homemade whipped cream, and dust them with a little bit more apple pie spice and they’ll look so fancy.
You don’t have to tell everyone how easy they were to make. That can be your secret.
Maybe I’ve also eaten them for breakfast a time or two, okay?
HOW TO MAKE APPLE BARS
I love an easy dessert I can stir together with a spatula in one bowl. This Apple Bar recipe totally fits that description.
Start by whisking together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Next, grab our favorite Challenge Unsalted Butter and mix together the brown sugar and melted butter. I use Challenge butter in this recipe because the flavor and freshness can’t be beat. And if I’m baking with freshly picked apples, I want the other ingredients to be just as fresh and delicious!
Mix in the eggs and vanilla, stir in the dry ingredients, and then fold in the apples.
The batter will be really thick. Don’t panic! It’s supposed to be that way. You will have to use your spatula to press the batter into the parchment-lined baking pan.
Finish off the bars by sprinkling them with a mixture of apple pie spice and granulated sugar before baking. You could simply use cinnamon sugar, but why leave it at cinnamon when we can get some extra fall flavor from the nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cardamom that are also in the apple pie spice mixture?
HOW TO STORE APPLE BARS
These Apple Bars are best kept at room temperature for up to 2 days. Simply store them in an airtight container on your counter.
I tried them after 2 days and the flavor was still great, but the texture wasn’t as chewy. So if you love that chewy texture, eat them within a couple of days!
This is one recipe that I don’t recommend freezing. Because of the apples in the recipe, the chewy texture won’t hold up as well after freezing, although the flavor will still be great.
If you have some fresh apples and a kid who loves to bake, get in the kitchen with them this weekend and bake up these bars together! They’ll feel so special getting to eat a treat they helped make with apples they helped pick.
Apple Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon apple pie spice
- ½ cup Challenge Unsalted Butter melted
- 1 ⅔ cups lightly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ heaping cups peeled and chopped apples I used Honey Crisp
For the Topping
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon apple pie spice
For Serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment and spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice; set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together melted butter and brown sugar until thoroughly incorporated. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir to combine. Gradually add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined, then fold in the apples.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
- In a cup or small bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of apple pie spice; evenly sprinkle over the top of the bars.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes in preheated oven; finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan, and cut into squares.
- Just before serving, top with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Good recipes!
Thank you so much, Ethel!
What can be an alternative to Apple Pie Spice? This isn’t available locally
Hi Ellen-
You can make your own: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/apple-pie-spice/
Hope this helps!
Hey, love the recipe. Can I use the same measurements for gluten free flour??
Hi Amber-
I am not very familiar gluten-free flour, so I am not really sure. Sorry I am not more of a help.
-Jamie