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Cozy Caramel Apple Crumble Bars Easy Homemade Oat Streusel Recipe

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These cozy caramel apple crumble bars feature a tender apple filling, gooey caramel layers, and a crunchy oat streusel topping, perfect for fall gatherings and quick baking.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (190 g)
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (90 g)
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (150 g)
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (170 g)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 large Granny Smith apples (about 2 cups / 300 g), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 g)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce (120 ml), homemade or store-bought

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal.
  2. In a large bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or fingers to mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits.
  3. Reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the crumble mixture for the topping. Press the remaining mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared pan to form the base.
  4. In another bowl, toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg.
  5. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the crust. Drizzle half of the caramel sauce over the apples and swirl gently with a spoon.
  6. Sprinkle the reserved oat crumble over the apples and caramel. Drizzle the remaining caramel sauce on top in thin ribbons.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and apples are bubbling around the edges.
  8. Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting.
  9. Use the parchment overhang to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into 2-inch squares. Serve as is or with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

[‘Use cold butter for the crumb topping to achieve a flaky texture.’, ‘Do not overmix the crumble; coarse crumbs are ideal.’, ‘Slice apples thin and uniformly for even baking.’, ‘Reserve some crumble mixture for the topping to add crunch.’, ‘Allow bars to cool completely before cutting to prevent them from falling apart.’, ‘If caramel sauce is thick, microwave for 10-15 seconds to make drizzling easier.’, ‘For gluten-free version, substitute gluten-free flour and oats.’, ‘For dairy-free version, substitute butter with coconut oil and use dairy-free caramel sauce.’]

Nutrition

Keywords: caramel apple bars, oat streusel, fall dessert, easy baking, caramel apple crumble, homemade caramel sauce, cozy dessert

Find it online: https://grubella.com/cozy-caramel-apple-crumble-bars-easy-homemade-oat-streusel-recipe/