Apple Crisp Bars

Apple crumble bar with oat topping on a plate.

5 from 1 vote

You are going to love these apple crisp bars, which are like the apple pie version of date squares but better: an apple filling between layers of oat crumble. These apple squares make an excellent dessert or snack.

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: squares

Calories: 289kcal

Author: Janice Lawandi

Equipment

Ingredients

Apple Filling

500 grams unsweetened applesauce
100 grams light brown sugar
30 grams cornstarch
2.5 mL ground cinnamon
28 grams unsalted butter
2 Cortland apple(s) peeled, cored, and diced (each apple weighed approximagely 200 grams)

Oat Crumble

225 grams rolled oats (or large flake oats)
125 grams bleached all-purpose flour
150 grams light brown sugar
2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
1.25 mL ground cinnamon
230 grams unsalted butter cold, cubed

Metric - US

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Prepare a 9-inch square pan by lightly greasing it, and lining the base and sides with parchment paper. Set aside.

Apple Filling

In a bowl, whisk together the apple sauce, light brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon until there are no lumps. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter, then add the diced apple and cook them until translucent. Add the apple sauce mixture and continue heating, stirring often, until the mixture comes to a boil, then cook until it thickens (about 5 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and transfer the filling to a bowl to cool.

Oat Crumble

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the oats, sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add in the cold butter and pulse it with the flour/oat mixture to form a crumble. You can also do this by hand like the topping for a fruit crisp

Assembly & Baking

Sprinkle half the crumble mixture in the base of the lined pan, and using a flat-bottomed glass, press it firmly so that the crust is even from edge to edge. Be sure to get into the corners too!
Smear the apple filling over the bottom crust and smooth it out evenly using a mini offset spatula, then scatter the rest of the crumble over top, patting it in gently just to secure it.
Bake the squares for about 45–55 minutes or until the edges begin to recede and the top is golden.
Let cool completely before cutting or it might be a little messy (but oh so good!).

Notes

For this recipe,

This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
Use large flake or rolled oats, not quick or minute oats because we want to retain some texture even though we are using a food processor for the crumble.
Use unsweetened apple sauce that is made from apples, water, and may contain ascorbic acid (to prevent browning and help with preservation). Do not use sweetened apple sauce because we are adding sugar to the filling or else, reduce the sugar in the recipe.
Please let the bars cool down completely before cutting them or they will be too delicate and fall apart. You can freeze them briefly to speed up the cooling process and to help them firm up quickly.

Nutrition