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Skip the rolling and enjoy the flavors of apple pie in a convenient bar form. Try these British Apple Pie Bars for a delightful and hassle-free dessert.

British Apple Pie Bars Without Any Fuss

Guess what? There’s no rolling involved with these thick British apple pie bars.

Apple pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, which my mum made as a child.

Now that I’m king of the kitchen, I created a snack-size apple pie bars recipe.

These apple pie bars are what I like to grab when I want a snack, or I’m on the run as a treat.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice slice of apple pie.

However, I don’t always have the time to roll out the dough to make pie crust.

I experimented with apple pie bars instead.

You get the same classic apple pie taste but in squares that you can carry along with you.

Try putting a slice of apple pie in your hand, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

These apple pie bars have a traditional buttery British shortbread crust.

In the center is a homemade apple pie filling topped with brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, and flour.

You can see how lovely these apple pie bars are, but the key is to wait until they are cooled before cutting into them.

Related: Amazing Dundurn Castle Shortbread Cookies

Before adding the top layer to the apple pie bars, I bake the shortbread layer topped with the apples for about 10 minutes, then add the final topping.

I do this because the apples have some time to cook down without the crust on the top.

This way, you know the apples have cooked through properly, and you don’t end up with raw apples and a cooked pie topping.

Best Ontario Apples For Apple Pie

A few weeks back, we picked up two big bags of apples from the reduced rack at Walmart for a buck each.

Now it’s time to use the last of my discount apples for these apple pie bars.

It amazes me how much the price differs when apples are in season, but autumn is the best time to bake anything Apple-related.

These apple pie bars mix Yellow and Red Delicious and Granny Smith apples.

The delicious apples tend to keep their shape, which you can see in the various layers of the apple pie bars.

I went with half-sweet and half-tart apples to give the apple pie filling a balanced flavor and texture.

You could even use McIntosh, Honey Crisp, Russet, Spartan, Cortland, or Crispin apples, which are perfect for pie making.

Related: Apple Varieties in Ontario, Canada

How To Make British Apple Pie Bars

This makes a large 9×13, deep pan of cinnamon apple pie bars.

For this apple pie bar recipe, alter the amount of sugar by 1/4 cup if you prefer a tart apple pie filling.

If you want to half the recipe, use a smaller baking pan 8×8 and cut down the baking times.

Apple Pie Bars Recipe

• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Author: Mr.CBB
• Prep time: 20 mins
• Cook time: 1 hour
• Total time: 1 hour 20 mins
• Serves: 24

These British-inspired Apple Pie Bars are a favorite in our family because they are flakey, buttery, and snack-sized.

British Shortbread Crust Ingredients

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Apple Pie Filling

• 8 apples peeled, cored, and sliced thin-med to equal about 8 cups of apples
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 drops of pure cinnamon oil (optional)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Apple Pie Bars Topping Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chilled butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line a 9×13 deep baking pan with parchment paper so it hangs over the sides, making it easier to pull out the bars and cut into squares. Put a layer of cooking spray on the parchment paper to keep the bars from sticking.

Shortbread Crust Instructions

1. Add softened butter, vanilla, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and blend in your stand mixer or with a hand mixer until fluffy. Add your flour little by little until it resembles a crumbly mixture.
2. Press the shortbread base into the bottom of your parchment-lined baking pan, ensuring it reaches all the corners.
3. Pat the top so it’s nice and even, and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t over-bake it. You will see the shortbread rise as a cookie would. Remove from oven to cool while you make the apple pie filling.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Filling Instructions

1. Add your sliced apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, oil, cloves, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2. Mix the apples with your hands until the apples are coated with the spice mix.
3. Arrange the apples evenly on the shortbread crust and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Topping Instructions

1. Mix your brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two butter knives, cut the 1/2-inch cold butter cubes until they resemble large peas.
3. Spread the topping evenly over the apples and press down slightly.
4. Put back in the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until golden brown.
5. Remove from oven and let sit until completely cooled.
6. Once cool with the parchment paper handles, lift the apple pie bars from the pan onto a cutting board.
7. Cut into 12 large cinnamon apple pie bars or 24 snack-size bars using a sharp knife.
8. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for 4 months.

These simple apple pie bars are always a hit when I make them and bring them to work.

I don’t often share my mum’s famous recipe, but since I’ve altered it with a homemade shortbread base, I’ll let you in on the secret recipe.

If you serve it on a plate for dessert, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and homemade salted caramel sauce to drizzle over the top.

Thanks for reading,

Mr. CBB

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