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Delicious apple pie bars inspired by Ina Garten’s recipe featuring a buttery shortbread crust, warmly spiced apple filling, and a rustic crumbly topping. Baked in an 8×8 inch pan, easy to slice and serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • About 3 lbs apples (around 4 medium-sized), peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick (good varieties include Gala, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Read the full recipe, gather apples and pantry staples, and bring butter to room temperature.
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
  3. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat softened butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed about 2 minutes until light and creamy.
  4. Whisk together the flour, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, and chopped walnuts in a separate bowl.
  5. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and beat just until combined.
  6. Press about two-thirds of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan and push it up about 1/2 inch along the sides.
  7. Refrigerate the pan for 20 minutes to firm the crust, then bake the crust 18–20 minutes until golden; let it cool slightly.
  8. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat.
  9. Add the sliced apples, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; cook, stirring often, about 15 minutes until the apples are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated.
  10. Stir in 1 teaspoon cornstarch during the last minute to thicken the filling, then remove the pot from the heat.
  11. Spread the cooked apple filling evenly over the slightly cooled crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges.
  12. Crumble the reserved one-third of the dough with your fingers and sprinkle it over the apples, leaving some apples exposed.
  13. Bake the assembled bars 25–30 minutes until the topping is browned.
  14. Cool the bars completely, lift the slab from the pan using the parchment overhang, and slice into squares.

Notes

Choose firm, slightly tart apples like Braeburn, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith, or a mix, for great texture and balanced sweetness., Don’t skip lining your pan with parchment and leaving an overhang—it makes removing and cutting the bars much easier., Chilling the crust after pressing it into the pan helps it hold its shape and prevents shrinking during baking., Add cornstarch at the end of cooking the apples to thicken the filling without making it gluey or too stiff., If topping browns faster than rest, tent bars with foil for last 10 minutes of baking., Let bars cool completely before slicing to get clean edges; best warm but slice tidier when cooled., Nut-free option: skip walnuts and add 1-2 tablespoons extra flour., Oat streusel topping alternative: rolled oats, brown sugar, melted butter sprinkled over apples instead of crumb topping., Caramel apple bars: drizzle warm caramel sauce before serving., Spice variations: swap cinnamon for cloves (1/4 tsp) or pumpkin pie spice (1/2 tsp)., Fruit swap: pears or mix of apples and pears can be used., Store at room temp airtight container up to 2 days; refrigerate up to 5 days; or freeze up to 2 months., Reheat in 325°F oven 10-15 minutes or microwave 20-30 seconds (watch for sogginess).

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/inas-apple-pie-bars-easier-than-apple-pie/