Caramel Apple Crumble Bars

I love October for 2 main reasons. My birthday (today!) and Halloween. One of the most popular October/Halloween treats are caramel apples. Which I love although they are a little difficult to eat. I love that there are so many new ways to still get the same flavors of caramel apples, like in this recipe. One of my favorite food bloggers is Annie from Annie's Eat's. I follow quite a few food blogs but I always trust Annie's recipes. I've made quite a few of her recipes and they have always turned out to be amazing.

Back in September she posted this recipe (which she created.) And I was so excited to try it!  The base and the crumb topping are from the same mixture you make using mostly flour, oats and of course butter.  The base is slightly baked them you top it with caramel and cooked sliced apples then top it with the rest of the crumb mixture. I made these for Derek to take to work so sadly I only got to try one piece. It was so amazing! Seriously one of my top 10 favorite desserts-ever!

The recipe doesn't specify which type of apple to use. I used Granny Smith because I love to bake with that type but you could use whatever you like. Also I just used caramel ice cream topping because I have a ton of it and wanted to save money. So you can do that or follow her instructions for using caramel candies. Either works!  I hope you try this!

Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

Very slighted adapted from Annie’s Eats

Yield: 16 bars

Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 large (or 5 medium) apples, peeled and sliced
3 tbsp. sugar
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of grated nutmeg

For the caramel:
9 oz. caramel candies, unwrapped
2 tbsp. heavy cream

(or ¾ cup caramel topping)

For the dough:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
¾ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
12 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Line a 9 x 9-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper.  To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the apple slices, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook, stirring occasionally, under the apples are golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

2.       Meanwhile, prepare the dough.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir to blend.  Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add in the egg yolk and vanilla and stir with a fork or knead very briefly just until a crumbly dough comes together.  Transfer about two thirds of the dough mixture to the prepared baking pan and press down into an even layer.  Bake until light golden, about 12-14 minutes.

3.       While the base is baking, combine the caramels and cream in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.  Melt the caramels, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is totally smooth.  Remove from the heat.  Once the base layer is baked, pour the caramel over the top.  Layer with the cooked apple slices.  Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the apple slices.  Sprinkle evenly with the chopped nuts, if using.

4.       Bake about 22-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.  Let cool completely before slicing and serving.