If you need a simple and stress-free fall dessert recipe, give these easy apple pie bars a try! You can whip them up in no time. And the best part? No crust! Homemade crust is delicious but can be difficult to get right. But with this apple pie bar recipe, you’ll be using a few simple ingredients for a buttery and delicious shortbread crust! Top it off with a drizzle of vanilla maple glaze and you have yourself one yummy fall treat – it’s even the perfect alternative to pie for Thanksgiving!
This post is sponsored by Rodelle. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Buckets of Yum possible! This post also contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you choose to purchase using my link.
I love pie at Thanksgiving, especially pumpkin pie. When I was little, I used to eat it for breakfast during Thanksgiving break. Breakfast! I would totally still do that though…
But what I don’t love about pie is getting the crust just right! It can be tough, and pie bars are just SO MUCH EASIER!
So, I have these easy apple pie bars to make all your pie dreams come true. They are just as amazing as the real deal and take much less work! Plus, they’re easy to cut into squares and bring to a party or gathering. Read on for how to make these buttery apple pie bars!
The Secret to Easy Apple Pie Bars
I love these apple pie bars mainly for their buttery shortbread crust. It’s almost a cookie-like crust that just melds so well with the large cinnamon sugar apple chunks!
You won’t need to chill this shortbread crust and it comes together quite quickly, unlike traditional pie crust! You will just need a few simple ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Rodelle Fairtrade Vanilla Extract – my favorite vanilla extract ever! It’s made from hand-selected vanilla beans for consistently exceptional vanilla extract. Plus, it’s organic and fairtrade – the beans are fully traceable back to the farmers who grew them in Madagascar!
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
That’s it! You’ll mix all of the ingredients together and press them into the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking dish, and then top with your cinnamon-covered apples and cinnamon crumble topping. Bake and drizzle with delicious vanilla maple glaze for a special touch. See? Simple!
How to Make Apple Pie Bars with Vanilla Maple Glaze
As I said above, these easy apple pie bars are super simple to make! Here’s what you’ll need to do for the perfect pie bars:
Make the Shortbread Crust. Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, Rodelle Fairtrade Vanilla Extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is evenly combined. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Make the Apple Pie Filling. While the crust is baking, combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Toss until the apples are well coated. Set aside.
Make the Crumble Topping. Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Assemble the Apple Pie Bars. Remove the crust from the oven and increase the temperature to 350°F. Evenly layer the apple slices on top of the crust. Sprinkle with the cinnamon crumble topping and bake for 30 -35 minutes until the crumble topping is browned.
Once you remove your bars from the oven and cool them, you can drizzle them with vanilla maple glaze – this part is totally optional, but I think it makes these pie bars extra delicious!
The Best Apples for Apple Pie Bars
Choosing the best apples for apple pie bars really comes down to your taste preference. Do you like sweet or tart? For me, I like to use a mixture of apples – one tart and one sweet. I like how the mixture of the two types of apples balances the flavors out to give this dessert the perfect amount of sweetness!
Here are my favorites for these pie bars:
- Tart Apple – Granny Smith
- Sweet Apple – Honeycrisp
I would suggest a mix of the two so that you get a good mix of sweet and tart. So delicious!
If you’re on a time crunch and need a delicious and easy Thanksgiving dessert recipe, give these apple pie bars a try! Just don’t eat them all before your guests arrive – trust me, it’s tempting!
Check out my other recipes below if you are looking for some Thanksgiving dessert inspiration!
- Pumpkin Spice Bars
- Caramel Apple Coffee Cake
- Easy Buttermilk Spice Cake
- Caramel Coffee Sheet Cake with Chocolate Espresso Buttercream
- White Chocolate Pumpkin Bread with Crumbly Streusel Topping
As always, be sure to tag me in your photos on Instagram if you make my recipe or use #bucketsofyum in your photos! I love to see what you are baking.
Easy Apple Pie Bars with Vanilla Shortbread Crust
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Shortbread Crust
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup+ 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp. Rodelle Fairtrade Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
For the Apple Pie Filling
- 2 large apples or about 2½ cups, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg
Cinnamon Crumble Topping
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
For the Vanilla Maple Glaze
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp. Rodelle Fairtrade Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Bean Paste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Vanilla Shortbread Crust
- Preheat oven to 300° F. Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhanging on the sides to lift the bars out once they are cooled. Set aside.
- Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is evenly combined. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared baking pan. Bake15 minutes.
For the Apple Pie Filling
- While the crust is baking, combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Toss until the apples are well coated. Set aside.
For the Cinnamon Crumble Topping
- Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour together. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
To Assemble the Apple Pie Bars
- Remove the crust from the oven and increase the temperature to 350°F. Evenly layer the apple slices on top of the crust. Sprinkle with the cinnamon crumble topping and bake 30 to 35 minutes until the crumble topping is browned.
- Remove the bars from the oven and cool 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before glazing, cutting, and serving. Bars can be cut into 12 or 16 pieces.
For the Vanilla Maple Glaze
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once butter has melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract Add a pinch of salt if desired. Drizzle over cooled and chilled pie bars before cutting. Glaze will set after about 1 hour.
Notes
- Pie bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
- Unglazed pie bars can be frozen for up to 3 months – thaw overnight in the refrigerator and drizzle with vanilla maple glaze before serving.
- This recipe can be doubled to make in a 9×13 inch pan. Bake the crust for 18 minutes and then extend bake time to 45 to 55 minutes.
- For the glaze, be sure to use real maple syrup rather than normal breakfast syrup. Real maple syrup has much better flavor.
