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Easy Irresistible Apple Pie Bars Recipe with Perfect Streusel Topping

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These apple pie bars combine a tender buttery crust, tart-sweet apples, and a crunchy streusel topping for a quick, easy, and crowd-pleasing dessert that captures the cozy flavor of classic apple pie without the fuss.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • About 4 medium apples (600 g), peeled and thinly sliced (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp recommended)
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease or line your 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
  3. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the cold, cubed butter into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits, about 3-4 minutes.
  4. Reserve about 1 ½ cups (approx. 180 g) of this crumb mixture for the streusel topping. Press the remaining crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan to form the crust, pressing firmly.
  5. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until it just starts to turn golden around the edges.
  6. While the crust is baking, toss peeled and thinly sliced apples with ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour.
  7. Remove the pre-baked crust from the oven and evenly spread the apple filling over the warm crust.
  8. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the apple layer to cover completely.
  9. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and juices bubble around the edges.
  10. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack to allow the filling to set.
  11. Slice into squares or rectangles and serve slightly warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Keep butter cold for a crumbly texture; pre-bake crust to prevent sogginess; cool bars completely before slicing for clean cuts; tent with foil if topping browns too quickly; use fresh lemon juice to prevent apple browning.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple pie bars, streusel topping, easy apple dessert, quick apple bars, homemade apple pie bars, fall dessert, cinnamon apple bars

Find it online: https://emmayum.com/easy-irresistible-apple-pie-bars-recipe-with-perfect-streusel-topping/