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Best Salted Caramel Apple Bars with Oat Crumble Recipe

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These Best Salted Caramel Apple Bars with Oat Crumble are the result of all that trial and error. They taste like the memory I’ve been chasing — that specific, golden-hour feeling of being small and safe and covered in flour.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups (180g) rolled oats
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (60g) almond flour
  • 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 6 cups (about 6–7 medium apples) peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons (40g) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Make the Salted Caramel Sauce: Place the sugar in an even layer in your saucepan over medium heat. Don’t stir it at first — just let it melt, swirling the pan occasionally. This takes about 8-10 minutes. Watch carefully; sugar can go from golden to burnt in seconds. You’re looking for a deep amber color, like a new penny. Once it’s there, add the butter pieces and whisk until melted. The mixture will bubble up aggressively — that’s normal. Slowly pour in the warm cream while whisking constantly….
  2. Prepare the Oat Crumble: In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, all-purpose flour, almond flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork until everything is moistened and clumps form. You want it to look like wet sand with some bigger clumps scattered throughout. Set aside about 1 and 1/2 cups of this mixture for the topping. Press the remaining crumble firmly into the bottom of your parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Use the bottom of a me…
  3. Cook the Apple Filling: In your large skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced apples, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes. The apples should soften slightly but still hold their shape — you don’t want apple sauce here. They’ll release some liquid; that’s fine. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the apples and stir to coat. Cook for another minute until the juices thicken. Remove…
  4. Assemble the Bars: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Spread the cooked apple filling evenly over the pressed crust. Drizzle about half of your salted caramel sauce over the apples — use about 3/4 cup. You don’t need to cover every apple slice; just let it ribbon through. Sprinkle the reserved oat crumble evenly over the top. Don’t press it down; you want it to stay clumpy and textured.
  5. Bake: Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly around the edges. The kitchen will smell incredible at this point. Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. This is important — if you cut them too soon, they’ll fall apart. After 30 minutes, drizzle the remaining caramel sauce over the top and sprinkle with a little extra flaky sea salt. Let them cool completely before cutting into squares, about 2 hours total.

Notes

Don’t skip the almond flour in the crumble. Your caramel will seize if you add cold cream. Watch the apples carefully. Let the bars cool completely. Toast your oats first for extra flavor.

Nutrition

Keywords: salted caramel, apple bars, oat crumble, fall dessert, apple dessert, caramel apple bars

Find it online: https://evabake.com/best-salted-caramel-apple-bars-with-oat-crumble-recipe/