This week, we’re switching from last week’s family supper to something sweet — and September is already pointing us toward apples. Apple desserts are showing up prominently in current fall recipe coverage, including apple fritters, apple crisp, apple cakes and old-fashioned apple crumbles. Recent recipe roundups published this week are highlighting apples as one of the flavors home cooks are reaching for as we make the transition into fall.
So for this week’s What’s Cookin’, Hazlehurst?, we’re making an easy Caramel Apple Crumble Bar — warm cinnamon apples tucked between a buttery oat crust and crunchy crumble topping, with a little caramel to finish it off.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 40–45 minutes
Servings: 12–16 bars
Ingredients
For the crust and crumble:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup butter, melted
For the apple filling:
- 4 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
For serving:
- Caramel sauce
- Vanilla ice cream, optional — but highly recommended!
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Press about two-thirds of the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Set the remaining crumble mixture aside.
Next, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften.
Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add it to the apples. Cook for another minute or two until the apple mixture thickens slightly.
Spread the warm apple filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining oat crumble mixture over the apples.
Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the apple filling is bubbling around the edges.
Allow the bars to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.
And if you want to turn one of these bars into a full-fledged fall dessert, serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.
HN Kitchen Tip
A combination of sweet and tart apples gives the filling more flavor. Granny Smith paired with Honeycrisp, Gala or Pink Lady works especially well. A recent fall apple feature also recommends mixing apple varieties when making simple apple desserts.
