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Apple Crisp Bars

September 11, 2012 by bblondie 54 Comments

Apple Crisp Bars - brown sugar shortbread covered with apples, all tucked under a blanket of crisp topping! | ButtercreamBlondie.com

Hi guys.  Is everyone feeling balanced after last week’s post? Good, now we can get back to business!  Would you just take a look at that bar!  Look at all those beautiful apples peeking out from under a blanket of crisp topping filled with brown sugar, oats, and cinnamon.  Then there’s the brown sugar shortbread which is swoon worthy all on its own.  That’s three layers of fall bliss right there my friends.


I don’t know about you, but fall baking is in full effect in my kitchen.  Temps are starting to get cooler, I’ve had my first pumpkin coffee of the season, and my obsession with new fall boots is worse than ever… Most importantly I can’t get enough of apples, and  I wanted to create a dessert that really highlighted them to kick off fall baking.  This bar hits all the right notes, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad, but I can’t stop eating them!

The first step in this bar is to make the crisp topping.  Between the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon, it is definitely a staple for the fall season.  I highly suggest you make a big batch of it and keep it in the freezer.  This way whenever you want to make these, a basic crisp, or my apple crisp cupcakes you’re set.  Next up is the brown sugar shortbread crust.  This stuff is ridiculous, and please know I mean that in the best way possible.  I mean shortbread is fantastic to begin with, but the brown sugar gives it a warmth that screams fall.

Last up is the apple compote.  This is a another recipe you will always go back to, and so good on its own that I had to make it several times 🙂  I posted the before photo on instagram last week, and the shot above is the after.  When you let a vanilla bean get cozy with some apples, you will get unbelievable flavor, and check out all those pretty specks!  The most important thing when making this is to make sure your apples are all cut the same size so they cook evenly.  I also want to mention that the type of apples you use will make a big difference.  I tested this recipe with a few different varieties and granny smith is the one you need to go with.  The tartness adds a brilliant brightness to these bars.

Apple Crisp Bars - brown sugar shortbread covered with apples, all tucked under a blanket of crisp topping! | ButtercreamBlondie.com

Finally you put it all together and send it off into the oven where everyone can get to know each other.  About 25 minutes later your whole house will smell of cinnamon vanilla goodness.  The shortbread is warm, buttery, and flaky.  The apples take on even more flavor as they bake, and the crisp topping provides the perfect crunch to finish it all off.  Paired with a cup of coffee or apple cider, this a great treat to welcome fall. The only question now is who will get the last piece?

Apple Crisp Bars - brown sugar shortbread covered with apples, all tucked under a blanket of crisp topping! | ButtercreamBlondie.com

Print
Apple Crisp Bars

Ingredients

    Crisp Topping
  • 1/2 cup AP flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cool
  • Brown Sugar Shortbread Base
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 2 cups AP flour
  • Apple Compote
  • 4lbs. granny smith apples - I used 9 good sized apples
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 8.5 ounces sugar
  • 1/2 vanilla bean

Instructions

    Crisp Topping
  1. Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl.
  2. Cut in butter with your fingers until you have pea sized pieces.
  3. Store in fridge till ready to use.
  4. Brown Sugar Shortbread Base
  5. Spray 9 x 13" pan with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper, and spray with nonstick again.
  6. Cream butter, sugar, and salt till light and fluffy.
  7. Add vanilla.
  8. Mix in flour till combined.
  9. Press dough into a pan and chill till firm.
  10. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes rotating halfway through.
  11. Apple Compote
  12. Peel and cut apples and place in saucepan with water, lemon juice, sugar, and vanilla bean. Make sure the your pot is big enough.
  13. Bring to a boil(this is just to dissolve the sugar) then drop the heat to medium low and pop a lid on it. Stir every so often to make sure that apples are cooking evenly.
  14. When apples start to get translucent, it's done. This should take 17-20 minutes.If you let them cook longer they will get mushy.
  15. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain before assembling bars.
  16. Assembly
  17. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  18. Place apple compote on top of cooled shortbread crust. Please make sure you strain the apples first making sure there is no liquid and remove the vanilla bean.
  19. Sprinkle crisp topping evenly over apples.
  20. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
  21. Allow to cool completely in pan.

Notes

Make a big batch of crisp topping and keep it in the freezer. You'll be set to make bars and crisps all season.

Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before you remove them!

I suggest chilling the bars overnight before you cut them if you can wait that long.

3.1
https://buttercreamblondie.com/apple-crisp-bars/

Filed Under: Brownies, Bars & Blondies, Currently Craving: pre-fall, Fall Favorites, Fruit Desserts, My Favorite Makeovers, Reader Favorites, Thanksgiving Favorites Tagged With: apple, apple compote, apple crisp, apple crisp bars, apple dessert, apple pie bars, best apple crisp, best apple crisp bars, brown sugar shortbread, crisp topping, homemade apple crisp

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Comments

  1. Eftychia says

    September 11, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    Can I have a piece please?

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 13, 2012 at 1:14 pm

      Of course you can! 🙂

      Reply
  2. CArol says

    September 11, 2012 at 2:26 pm

    Love this professional recipe..I am making them tonight with apples I picked:) oh..and changing it to whole wheat flour for added nutrition and nutty flavour:)

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 13, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks Carol! Hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  3. Cassie says

    September 11, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    Welcome, fall! These are so great, Meghan. I love apple crisp!

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 13, 2012 at 1:15 pm

      Thanks girl!

      Reply
  4. Jennifer @ Peanut Butter and Peppers says

    September 11, 2012 at 5:57 pm

    Wow, your bars look amazing!!! What gorgeous pictures!!! I just love this recipe!!

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 13, 2012 at 1:16 pm

      Thank so much Jen!

      Reply
  5. amy @ fearless homemaker says

    September 11, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    these look absolutely amazing! i’ll take one for my afternoon snack, please. =)

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 13, 2012 at 1:17 pm

      Thanks Amy! I’ll trade you for a cheesecake bar!

      Reply
  6. Michael Ann says

    September 11, 2012 at 6:28 pm

    These look absolutely DIVINE!!! I must try them!

    Reply
  7. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts says

    September 11, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    I love apple baking! I just baked with some apples today 🙂 It is supposed to be cold here tomorrow, so some more fall baking might have to take place!

    Reply
  8. Marina {YummyMummyKitchen.com} says

    September 11, 2012 at 10:16 pm

    Want! These look amazing! Perfect for fall!

    Reply
  9. Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says

    September 11, 2012 at 10:17 pm

    These look amazing!! Apples are one of my favorite things to bake with in the fall!

    Reply
  10. Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says

    September 11, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    Wow, great pictures, what I’d do for a slice right now 🙁 I was balanced until I saw these!

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 19, 2012 at 10:11 am

      Lol, thanks Gerry!!

      Reply
  11. Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says

    September 12, 2012 at 10:13 am

    heavenly!!

    Reply
  12. Averie @ Averie Cooks says

    September 12, 2012 at 1:59 pm

    I love crumbles and crisps and the Apple Compote sounds delish – with the vanilla bean in it – oh wow!

    Reply
  13. Jessica@AKitchenAddiction says

    September 13, 2012 at 9:43 am

    Apple crisp is one of my favorite desserts! I love the idea of having it in bar form!

    Reply
  14. ally says

    September 13, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    desserts like these somehow manage to make autumn more beautiful & lovely!
    xo
    http://allykayler.blogspot.ca/

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 19, 2012 at 10:12 am

      Thank you Ally!

      Reply
  15. Jane says

    September 13, 2012 at 3:05 pm

    Looks just wonderful. I always get a yen to bake with apples as soon as my kids go back to school. It’s the best way to welcome in autumn, even if we’re a little early. Lovely recipe!

    Reply
  16. Jess Wakasugi {Life's Simple Measures} says

    September 14, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Came across this recipe over at Noble Pig and my goodness am I glad I made the click! First, these bars look amazing! I am a complete sucker for crisps! Also, absolutely love your blog and all of your pictures are gorgeous! Glad to be your newest follower 🙂

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 19, 2012 at 10:15 am

      You are so sweet, thank you Jess! So happy you made the click too 🙂

      Reply
  17. Nicole says

    September 14, 2012 at 11:04 am

    Love the shortbread. Love the apples. Love the idea. Will be trying it.

    Reply
  18. Jennie @themessybakerblog says

    September 14, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Last year I purchased 2 new pair of fall boots, and I have my eye on a few that I’d love to add to my collection. Boots are my favorite fall accessory.

    These bars look so good, and I love honey crisp apples this time of year. Yay for fall baking!

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      September 19, 2012 at 10:16 am

      Same here! It was not a good idea for me to go shopping this wknd!

      Reply
  19. Jaime says

    September 15, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    Reading your post makes me wish autumn rolled in sooner! Love your photos and this recipe is absolutely scrumptious x Have a happy autumn baking Meghan!!

    Reply
  20. Kate@Diethood says

    September 16, 2012 at 3:49 pm

    These look incredible! I love that shortbread. Wish I could bite into it right now. 🙂

    Reply
  21. the wicked noodle says

    September 17, 2012 at 3:57 pm

    Totally swoon-worthy!! It took me awhile to get over summer ending but these just pushed me right into a happy fall 🙂

    Reply
  22. Hester @: Alchemy in the Kitchen says

    September 18, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    No question, Meghan, that last piece has my name on it! I love apple crisp but the shortbread adds a whole new layer of flavour(literally!) This is delightful.

    Reply
  23. Liz says

    September 18, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    Printing this off! YUM!

    Reply
  24. Peggy says

    September 19, 2012 at 9:14 am

    We’re actually going apple picking this weekend, so these bars will be a perfect use for some of those delicious apples =)

    Reply
  25. Carol | a cup of mascarpone says

    September 19, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    Yes, please!!! These look and sound awesome!!! Love how you described them!

    Reply
  26. Elizabeth says

    October 6, 2012 at 7:36 am

    Made these for my family and they were wonderful! I wish I’d been better about cutting the apples into more uniform sizes — some of them were smushy and others were still crisp, but they were still amazing! We will definitely have these again. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
  27. Rhianna says

    November 6, 2012 at 3:41 pm

    I made these bars last night after seeing how tempting they looked. Fabulous 🙂

    Reply
  28. Leslie says

    December 8, 2012 at 1:23 am

    These were so amazing when I made them this fall my family wants them for our Christmas dessert. I can’t wai tto make them again.

    Reply
    • bblondie says

      January 8, 2013 at 1:03 pm

      Thanks Leslie! So happy you & your family enjoyed them!

      Reply
  29. Susan J says

    January 29, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Made these the other day. They were delicious. I loved the cookie base with the crisp topping. Totally my kind of dessert. I almost halved the recipe, but then decided to go with the full size. I’m glad I did. The vanilla bean in the compote gave the apples a nice little push in the flavor department. BTW, this is great warmed up with some Haagen Dazs Ducle de Leche ice cream. 😀

    Reply
  30. Serena | Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch says

    September 30, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    I love anything with apples! This look delicious and bars are such a nice change with the cookies base from traditional crisp! Yum!

    Reply
  31. Christine says

    October 13, 2013 at 4:52 pm

    Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I’ve made this twice already this fall and my family love it. It’s a nice twist on the original.

    Reply
  32. Dina says

    October 17, 2013 at 10:26 pm

    they look yummy!

    Reply
  33. Georgia says

    November 13, 2013 at 11:43 pm

    Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe! I was looking for something to use apples from my tree in a dessert for our neighborhood potluck. This recipe turned out great and everyone loved it. I tried it a second time using persimmons, cooking them the same as the apples but then I pureed them and thickened them with some cornstarch before spreading them over the shortbread base and I added a little nutmeg to the topping recipe. They came out really good. I think this recipe will work well with other fruits too. I’m going to try making it with pears next.

    Reply
  34. Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says

    November 19, 2013 at 11:34 am

    Dreaming I had a apple crisp bar for breakfast right now, looks amazing!

    Reply
  35. Shirley says

    January 3, 2014 at 1:42 am

    What type of oats do you use for your topping? Quick Cooking? Original?

    Thanks, I’m loving your blog!

    Shirley

    Reply
  36. Chris @ Shared Appetite says

    September 13, 2014 at 5:24 pm

    Although I’m super sad to see summer go, I’m totally excited for all things apple. I’m not a pumpkin guy at all… but give me some apple desserts and I’m all over it!

    Reply
  37. Joybee says

    October 13, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    what is the measurement of a stick of butter ? = 1/2 cup?

    Reply

Trackbacks

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meghanI’m Meghan, a pastry chef, recipe developer and culinary personality, who loves to flirt with dessert. On Buttercream Blondie, I give your favorite sweets makeovers. Join me as I glam them up one recipe at a time!

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