Caramelised Apple Pie Shortbread Bars
When fall rolls around, there are two flavors that immediately come to mind: apples and caramel. If you love the idea of a cozy apple dessert but do not want the fuss of making a full pie, Caramelised Apple Pie Shortbread Bars are the perfect solution. These dessert bars combine buttery shortbread with rich caramelised apples for a treat that is comforting, sweet, and much easier to prepare than you might think.
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Servings: 9
Ingredients
For the Caramelised Apples
- 3 (3) Medium Apples (Granny Smith/Honeycrisp/Gala) See Notes
- 50 g (4 tbsp) Unsalted Butter
- 75 g (⅓ cups) Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Ground Cinnamon
For the Shortbread
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) All Purpose Flour
- 220 g (1 ¼ cups) Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Baking Powder
- 1 (1) Large Egg
- 110 g (8 tbsp) Butter, Softened
- 1 tsp (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 370℉/180℃. Line an 8" square baking pan.
- Prepare the apples: peel and chop the apples into a 2 cm dice (chunky enough to keep some texture but not too big).
- Heat the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and about 2 tbsp water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the apples have softened - but before they turn 'mushy'.
- Let the apples cool slightly while you make the biscuit layers. Do this by first combining the flour, sugar, baking powder in a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, on a medium speed.
- Add in the egg, butter and vanilla and combine again to form a cookie dough. Press 2/3rds of this into the pan, forming an even layer.
- Pour the apples (drain off any excess moisture if there is any) over the shortbread in an even layer. Then sprinkle the remaining shortbread over the apples.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving!
Notes
Apples: Almost any variety of apple will work, but I prefer use apples with a little more 'crunch'. Pink Lady, Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are my favorite!