- 3 medium firm apples, peeled and thinly sliced - I used Honeycrisp
- 1 T. flour
- 1 T. brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ c. caramel sauce - divided
- 3 T. slivered almonds - for topping
- 1 ¼ c. flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. baking powder
- ½ c. butter, softened
- ½ c brown sugar
- ¼ c. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Lightly mist an 8" square baking pan (or equivalent) with cooking spray. Set aside.
To prepare the filling, toss together the thinly sliced apples with the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl; drizzle in 2 tablespoons of the caramel sauce and toss to combine until well-coated; set these aside while you prep the dough for the crust and crumble.
To prepare the dough, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a bowl; set aside. Add the butter and brown and granulated sugars to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until well-combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix to incorporate; add in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined, but crumbly. Reserve ¾ cup of the mixture for the crumble topping.
Press the remainder of the dough mixture gently into your prepared baking dish as evenly as possible, then add in the apple filling in as even a layer as possible. Sprinkle the reserved dough over the apples to create a crumble topping; sprinkle the almonds over the crumble topping.
Bake the bars for about 55 minutes (turning halfway through), until golden-brown; allow the bars to cool in the baking dish for 30 minutes before drizzling the top of the baked bars with the remaining 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce. Cut them into 9-12 bars, depending on the size bars you prefer.
- Yields: 9-12 servings
- Preparation Time: 75 minutes