The perfect dessert for apple season — these apple crisp bars feature a buttery shortbread crust, cinnamon-spiced apples in the middle and an oatmeal crumble on top. Serve warm with a drizzle of caramel or a scoop of ice cream.
If you love the crunchy crumble from a classic apple crisp, you’ll enjoy these apple crisp bars. They have three clear layers: a shortbread cookie base, a cinnamon apple filling and a brown sugar-oatmeal crumble. The bars are easy to slice when fully cooled and store well, making them a great choice for gatherings or make-ahead desserts.
Apple Crisp Bars
The recipe breaks down into three simple parts: the shortbread base, the apple filling, and the oatmeal crumble topping. Each component is straightforward to prepare, which keeps the process quick despite having multiple layers.
The shortbread base is a buttery, slightly crunchy cookie layer. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a parchment-lined pan and bake it alone for 22–25 minutes. Pre-baking the base is essential — if you skip that step the crust can become soggy and underbaked once the apples and crumble are added.
While the base bakes, prepare the apple filling and the crumble. For the filling, peel and core the apples and slice them thinly. Toss the slices with a small amount of flour, sugar and ground cinnamon. Choose a crisp, tart apple variety so the slices hold texture and brighten the final flavor; varieties like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Pink Lady work best.
The crumble is a mix of brown sugar, oats and flour bound with melted butter. Combine the dry ingredients, stir in the melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand, then break it into coarse crumbs with your hands before sprinkling it over the apple layer. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden and the apples are tender.
Cooling is important with these bars. Allow them to cool completely in the pan to set the layers and make slicing clean and easy. Use the parchment overhang to lift the whole slab onto a cutting board, then slice into squares or bars. Reheat individual pieces briefly in the microwave if you prefer them warm.
These apple crisp bars pair beautifully with a drizzle of salted caramel or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They travel well and taste great the next day, so they’re ideal for potlucks, lunchboxes or a simple weekend dessert.
More apple desserts to enjoy: Caramel apple galette, apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting, and apple bread.
Apple Crisp Bars — Recipe
Yields: 9 large bars
Prep: 30 mins • Cook: 55 mins • Cooling: 3 hrs • Total: ~4 hrs 25 mins
Ingredients
Shortbread Base
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Apple Filling
- 2 large apples (about 2–2½ medium/small); recommended: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or Pink Lady
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line an 8×8 inch (20×20 cm) pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and white sugar until combined.
- On low speed, mix in the flour, cornstarch and salt until a dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake for 22–25 minutes, until the top looks set and is lightly golden around the edges. Remove from the oven but leave the oven on.
Apple Filling
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples.
- Toss the apple slices with the flour, sugar and cinnamon until evenly coated.
- Arrange the apple slices over the baked shortbread base in an even layer.
Oatmeal Crumble Topping
- Combine the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and rolled oats in a bowl.
- Stir in the melted butter until the mixture feels like wet sand.
- Scatter the crumble evenly over the apples and bake for 35 minutes, until the topping is golden and apples are tender.
- Remove from the oven and cool the bars completely in the pan.
- When cool, lift the slab from the pan using the parchment overhang, place on a cutting board and slice into nine bars.
Notes
- Use 2 large apples or 2½ medium/small apples. Avoid very soft varieties like McIntosh or Golden Delicious if you want some texture; choose firmer, tart-sweet apples instead.
- Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bars freeze well for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge before serving.
- Nutrition info is an estimate per bar (without any added caramel or ice cream) when the pan is cut into 9 equal pieces.
Nutrition (approx. per bar)
Calories: 324 kcal; Carbohydrates: 44 g; Protein: 3 g; Fat: 16 g; Saturated fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 41 mg; Sodium: 70 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 23 g.