Description
Make these easy apple pie bars with a buttery shortbread crust and a sweet cinnamon apple filling. They are simpler than traditional pie and perfect for sharing.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
- 2 tablespoons milk (for glaze)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.
- To make the crust, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
- Gradually mix in the 2 cups of flour and salt until a crumbly dough forms. Press two-thirds of this dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes until lightly golden.
- While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, toss the diced apples with the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice.
- Spread the apple mixture evenly over the partially baked crust.
- Crumble the remaining one-third of the dough mixture over the apples.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
- To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled bars.
- Once the glaze sets, lift the bars out using the parchment overhang and cut into squares.
Notes
- For a flakier crust, chill the dough for 30 minutes before pressing it into the pan.
- Use firm apples like Honeycrisp or Fuji if you prefer a slightly sweeter filling.
- You can substitute apple pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg mixture.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 50 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 22
- Sodium: 75
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 28