Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars
These Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars feature a buttery oat crumble crust, warmly spiced Granny Smith apples, and homemade caramel sauce. The bars are baked until golden, chilled for clean slices, and finished with extra caramel if desired.
Equipment
- 8-inch square oven-proof dish
- parchment paper
- medium bowl
- Small pan
- spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 3 medium-large Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and chopped into small cubes
- 20 g all-purpose flour
- 14 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 140 g all-purpose flour
- 130 g rolled oats
- 105 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 150 g unsalted butter, melted
- 1 recipe caramel sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8 inch (20cm) square oven-proof dish and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, about 2 inches (5 cm) of overhang on each side.
- Place the chopped apples in a medium bowl. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and flour. Stir with a spoon or spatula until combined well.
- Put the rolled oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl and stir with a spoon or a spatula. Add the melted butter and stir.
- Set aside ⅓ of the mixture (to be precise it is 180 grams or almost loosely 1 cup) to use for the crumbles. Place ⅔ of the mixture into the dish. You can use your hand or a spoon to press the mixture to the dish. Put the apple mixture over the dough. Sprinkle the dough that you set aside over the apples. You should gently press the crumbles so they stick to the apples and you can cut proper slices once cooled.
- Bake for almost 50 minutes or until the crumbles are golden brown.
- While it is baking, make the caramel sauce. It is important that you add the heavy cream gradually and whisk it at the same time to avoid any lumps. You can find all the detailed information in those posts. If you already have your caramel sauce and want to use it, sure you can. You should remove it from the fridge so it will be in a pourable consistency. You can hasten this step by putting it in a pan over low-medium heat and stirring until you reach a pourable consistency.
- Let the dish cool at room temperature for 1 hour before pouring ½ of the caramel sauce on top. Gently swirl the dish, so the caramel sauce spreads. You should wait at least half an hour before placing it in the fridge and you should let it completely cool for an extra 1 and ½ hours in the fridge as well. This step is essential if you want to cut proper slices.
- Cut into 16 slices. If you prefer, you can add the extra caramel on top.
Notes
*I halfway melt the butter in a small pan, remove it from the heat and stir. This way the butter cools fast.
**I use Granny Smith apples. If you are planning to use another apple variety and there is juice in the bowl, leave the excess juice there, and then place the apples over the dough.
How to Store: You can keep these bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
The calorie information above is an estimate that is provided by an online nutrition calculator. The calorie information includes ½ recipe caramel sauce.