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Salted Caramel Apple Crisp Bars

Salted caramel apple crisp bars with a buttery shortbread base, tender cinnamon-spiced apples, and a crumbly oat topping. Baked in one pan until golden and then finished with a sticky caramel drizzle and flaky sea salt for sweet-salty squares.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 52 minutes
cooling 38 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 360
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry topping and crust
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar divided for crust/topping and apple filling
  • 0.5 cup cold butter, cubed for crust
  • 0.25 tsp salt for crust
  • 1 tbsp flour for apple filling
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar for apple filling
  • 1 tsp cinnamon for apple filling
  • 0.5 cup rolled oats
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour for topping
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar for topping
  • 3 tbsp melted butter for topping
Apple layer and finish
  • 4 apples, peeled and thinly sliced use 4–5 apples total
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce drizzle after cooling
  • 1 Flaky sea salt, for topping sprinkle right before slicing

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and crust
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper.
  2. Combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cold butter, pressing the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  3. Bake the crust for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven.
Add apples and crumble topping
  1. Toss the sliced apples with flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then spread evenly over the baked crust.
  2. Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and melted butter until crumbly, then sprinkle over the apples.
  3. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and the apples are tender.
Cool and finish
  1. Cool completely, about 1 hour, to set the bars before slicing.
  2. Drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with flaky sea salt before slicing, then serve.

Notes

For clean slices, let the bars cool fully before cutting and chill briefly if your kitchen is warm. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze baked bars (cut or whole) up to 2 months. For a dairy-light option, use plant-based butter in the crust and crumble—texture should stay crumbly and cohesive.