Apple Pie Bars
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Apple season is upon us, and I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than making these Apple Pie Bars.
Buttery crescent roll dough layered with a delicious apple filling, streusel topping, and drizzled with a rich and creamy icing for the perfect fall dessert.
Apple Pie Bars
Apple pie bars are the ideal seasonal treat to make this fall. Using crescent roll dough makes the process quick and easy. Make a batch and cut it into squares to serve at your next weekend brunch. Or send them to school with the kids for a special lunchtime treat.
These bars freeze really well, so keep a stash in the freezer for when you have unexpected guests or if you want to have pre-made snacks on hand to send to school.
Why Make These Apple Bars?
- Quick and easy to prepare.
- Ready-made crust cuts down on preparation time.
- Baked apple desserts are the best, and the yummy scent coming from your oven will be irresistible.
Apple Pie Bars Ingredients + Tips
For the Bars
Crescent roll dough, apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, vanilla, spices ( cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger), butter, all-purpose flour, and brown sugar.
For the icing:
Butter, milk, and powdered sugar.
- I suggest using granny smith, pink lady, or honey crisp apples. (Or any combination of the three.)
- The bars call for both white and brown sugar. In a pinch, you could use all white or all brown. (The brown sugar adds a nice caramel-like flavor to the baked apples.)
- You can use one tablespoon of cornstarch instead of flour.
- You can also replace the individual spices with 2.5 teaspoons of apple pie spice.
How To Make This Apple Bars Recipe
1 Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit.
2 Core and slice apples into ⅛ to ¼ inch thick slices. Peeling is optional. Toss apple slices with lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and set aside.
3 Make the streusel topping by cutting butter, flour, and brown sugar together until completely mixed, and crumbly. Set aside.
4 Unroll the crescent roll dough. Line a greased, or parchment-lined 11-15 inch jelly roll pan with the dough.
5 Spread the apple mixture evenly on top of the dough.
6 Sprinkle the streusel over the apples.
7 Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and the apples are soft. Remove from oven. Let cool.
8 While the bars are baking, combine icing ingredients and beat until smooth. Drizzle icing over bars.
Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Bring the crescent roll dough to room temperature.
- Make sure the butter is cold.
- If you don’t have a jelly roll pan use a rectangular Pyrex baking dish.
- Pink Lady, Honey Crisp, or Granny Smith apples work best.
- To check for doneness, use a sharp knife to test the tenderness of the apples. If the top of your bars are starting to look done, but the apples aren’t quite tender enough yet, you can cover the baking pan with foil and cook for a few minutes longer.
- Let the apple bars cool before cutting: This will allow the apple bars to set for easy serving.
Variations on Apple Pie Bars
- Use a combination of apples and pears
- Add raisins to the apple mixture
- Mix chopped walnuts or pecans into the apple mixture.
Storage
You can store these apple pie bars on the counter for up to two days. After which they would need to go in the fridge and will be good for another three days.
To freeze the bars, wrap them with plastic wrap and seal in an air-tight container for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.
FAQs
What Type Of Apples Are Best For This Recipe?
Pink Lady, or Granny Smith apples work best. The tartness of the apples keeps the bars from being too sweet, and they keep their shape when baking.
Do I have to use the crescent roll dough?
Crescent roll dough makes these apple pie bars come together quickly and easily. If you’d like to use frozen puff pastry dough, that will also work, though the cooking time may vary. Homemade or store-bought pie crust would also work.
Can I make these apple squares in advance?
Yes, you can make these apple squares in advance and store them in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. They can also be frozen. If you are freezing leftovers, I like to cut the squares into individual servings and freeze them. This way, it is much easier to grab a square when you feel like it. (See storage tips above.)
Can I use apple pie filling instead of fresh apples?
Yes, for a shortcut, you can use apple pie filling. I do recommend fresh apples for this recipe. The canned apple pie filling is very sweet and the fresh apples taste much better, in my opinion.
Do I have to ice the apple squares?
You do not need to ice the apple squares, but the icing does add the finishing touch. Instead of the icing, you could drizzle caramel sauce over the squares or simply dust them with icing sugar.
Do I need to peel the apples?
To peel or not to peel? I prefer not to peel my apples when I bake with them. The peel has lots of nutrients, so I like to keep them on. (Plus, the peel gives the bars a pretty color.) It also saves me time, but if you prefer your apples peeled, then go ahead.
Do I have to pre-bake the crescent roll dough?
No! The great thing about this recipe is that the dough will cook with the apples, so there is no need for pre-baking.
Want more bar-type desserts?
Did you try these Apple Bars?
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Apple Pie Bars
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Description
Apple Pie Bars are made with buttery crescent roll dough and layered with delicious apple filling, streusel topping, and drizzled with a rich and creamy icing for the perfect fall dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cans crescent roll dough
- 3 cups baking apples, cored, and sliced
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 4 Tablespoons cold butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
For the icing:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Core and slice apples into ⅛ to ¼ inch thick slices, peeling if desired
- Toss with lemon juice, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, and set aside
- Make the streusel topping by cutting butter, flour, and brown sugar together until completely mixed, and crumbly. set aside
- Unroll crescent roll dough, and line a greased, or parchment-lined 11-15 inch jelly roll pan with them
- Top evenly with apple mixture
- Sprinkle streusel over apples
- Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and apples are soft, and remove from oven. Let cool.
- While bars are baking, combine icing ingredients, and beat until smooth
- Drizzle icing over bars.
Notes
- This recipe is easily halved: Cut this recipe in half to fit an 8×8 pan.
- Let the apple bars cool before cutting: This will allow the apple bars to set for easy serving.
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