Apple Pie Bars

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These apple pie bars are like the cool younger sister of the apple pie! They’re everything you love about a classic homemade apple pie – the cozy cinnamon-spiced charm, buttery crust – but they’re more laid back and fussier to make. No more awkward pie slices or worrying about a soggy bottom crust. These bars are made ready to grab and enjoy. 

Each bar starts with a buttery cookie crust that tastes like the perfect cross between a flaky pie crust and a soft sugar cookie. It’s buttery, a little bland, but balances just right with the sweet apple pie filling. 

These bars are layered with a homemade spiced apple pie filling and finished with a lattice cookie topping for those classic apple pie vibes. The best part about these bars is that they don’t have to be perfectly presented. They’re casual, comforting, and an easy everyday bake. 

Once they’re baked, they’re sliced into clean-cut squares for easy grabbing and enjoying at dinner parties, grill-outs, or holiday gatherings. They’re effortlessly cool, and they may just steal the spotlight at your next dinner party!

Why You’ll Love These Apple Pie Bars

• They’re easily transportable! These apple pie bars are made for taking and sharing. The slices are sturdy enough to slice and give as gifts for coworkers or to take with you to a party.
• A casual dessert! The fact that they are bars takes them from a fancy pie to a casual, everyday bake. Everyone can grab a slice at their leisure, no forks needed, and you don’t have to stress about the perfect slice. 
• The comfort of an apple pie without all the fuss! Sometimes making a pie can seem daunting because you want it to look perfect and pretty. The good thing about these bars is that they can be imperfect.

How to Make Apple Pie Bars, Step by Step

Step 1. Make the cookie dough and chill it for 20 minutes.

Start by making the apple pie bar dough. We wanted the dough for these bars to have the texture of a cookie, but the flavor of a pie crust dough. This dough is essentially a spiced shortbread cookie that is made with powdered sugar to give it a denser, crisper texture. 

To make the dough, start by mixing your dry ingredients – flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The cinnamon and nutmeg are going to add flavor to the dough and give it that cozy warmth to complement the cinnamon apple filling. 

Set the flour mixture to the side as you cream the butter and powdered sugar. In an electric mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until it is light and creamy. 

Next, beat in vanilla and eggs before adding in the flour mixture. When the dough comes together, scrape it from the bowl and roll it into a disk shape. 

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help solidify the fats in the dough and make it firmer for rolling out and shaping into the pan. 

Step 2. Make apple pie bar filling. 

While the cookie dough is chilling, make the apple pie filling. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the apples. You want the slices to be thin so that they cook down quickly. If your slices are thick, they will have a crisper, less pliable texture. 

Next, heat up a Dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter before adding the sliced apples, sugar, spices, and flour to the pan. 

Lastly, add a slurry – a mixture of corn starch and water to the apple mixture. This will help thicken the sugary sauce. Let the mixture simmer for a couple more minutes before removing the pan from the heat.

Tip: If you don’t have a mandolin, use a sharp knife to carefully cut thin apple slices. 

Step 3. Roll out the dough and assemble bars.

Grab the chilled dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Roll out one half of the dough into a 9×9-inch square. Carefully transfer the dough sheet to your baking pan and gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Make sure the entire bottom of the pan is covered.

Pour the apple pie filling on top of the bottom crust. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to spread the apple filling in an even layer. 

Roll out the second half of the dough into a sheet that is about 1/4-inch thick. Make sure the strips will be long enough to stretch across the pan. Arrange the dough strips in a lattice pattern on top of the dough.

Tip: The dough may be soft at this point, so work carefully.

Step 4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

Once the layers of the bar are assembled in the pan, place them in a preheated oven at 350ºF. Bake the bars for 35-45 minutes until the top crust starts to turn a golden brown color. 

The filling should also be bubbling underneath. 

Step 5. Let the bars cool and slice!

It will smell irresistible at this point, but you will need to wait a bit longer before you can dive in. 

Let the bars cool completely or for 20-25 minutes before slicing. As they cool, they will set and solidify. If you cut them too early, the filling may be too runny and soupy. Slice into 9-12 bars and enjoy!

Serving tip: They’re delicious topped with some ice cream or fresh whipped cream!

Tips for Making Apple Pie Bars

• Use a mandoline to make even apple slices. The apple slices must be uniform in size so that they bake evenly and become tender as they cook. If you don’t have a mandoline, use a sharp knife to slice thin, even slices.
• Chill the dough before rolling it out. Quickly chilling the dough for 20 minutes will help to firm the butter and make the dough easier to handle. It will also help to create a flakey tender crust that’s perfect for the pie bars. 
• Add a cornstarch slurry to the apple pie filling. A cornstarch slurry is made of water and cornstarch. Adding this mixture to the filling will thicken the apple pie filling. As you slice the cooled bars, the pie filling stays inside the bars instead of creating a runny mess. 
• Cool the bars completely before slicing. To get clean, crisp slices, allow the bars to set for at least 20-25 minutes or wait until they are completely cooled.

How to Store Leftover Apple Pie Bars

Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezing Leftover Apple Pie Bars

Once the bars are completely cooled and sliced, wrap each individual bars tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving. 

If you like warm pie bars, you can warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds after they’ve thawed.

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