Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars

Ok so it's been awhile since I've posted. I can hear you scoffing over there. Ok it's be a loooooong time- oh about six months give or take a day.  I decided to give this blogging thing a go one more time. I have to admit I got a little discouraged, blogging ain't easy! I decided if I was going to get back into though I was going to need to invest in a new camera.  My point and shoot just wasn't going to cut it. So with my new (ok used off of Amazon- I am a teacher folks and those fancy cameras aren't cheap!) camera in hand I'm giving this blogging thing a go one more time. So what did I make to celebrate my return? These delicious no wait... insanely delicious ok...so good that I hate to admit how many I ate- Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars.  I had a bushel? a lot of apples staring at me on the counter that I had to find something to do with. My friends and I had gone apple picking the weekend before and not being an apple picking expert I bought the BIG bag to fill. Well, folks, in case you are planning on going apple picking that BIG bag is way more apples than you know what to do with.  Consider yourself warned. 

These bars were a perfect little package of Autumn. And salted caramel anything? Count me in.  So apples, cinnamon, salted caramel. You can't go wrong. To me, they were like eating apple pie. Only you know easier to make and I didn't feel as guilty. Desserts in small form do that to me. Ok, so yea I ate probably way more than equivalent to a slice of pie so that logic totally doesn't count.  But if the crisp Fall air has you yearning for pie and simpler times these bars can deliver that. Well maybe not simpler times, but hey these bars should put a smile on your face.  What will I do with the rest of the apples adorning my countertop? Guess you will just have to wait and see... 



Salted Caramel Apple Crumb Bars
original source: Two Peas and Their Pod
Please note:  I cheated a little and used good jarred caramel sauce.  Feel free to do the same or go ahead and make your own.  Two Peas and Their Pod's original recipe includes a recipe for caramel sauce.  Either way, don't forget the caramel sauce at the end. Drizzle that stuff all over these little babies. Seriously, the caramel sauce at the end puts the bars over the top. (I apologize my picture does not include the final drizzle of caramel sauce!)

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ingredients:

For salted caramel sauce

1 cup of your favorite jarred caramel

1 teaspoon fleur de sel, plus extra for sprinkling

For the Apple Filling:

5 cups peeled and diced apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground all-spice

For the crust:

3 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. For the apple filling- place the diced apples in a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix gently. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground all-spice. Pour over the apples and carefully combine. Set aside.

3. For the dough-in a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or by using your hands, until butter is mixed in, but you still have small chunks of butter. Mix the egg and vanilla together. Add into the flour and butter mixture and combine. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.

4. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the bottom crust. Drizzle about salted caramel sauce over the apple filling, about 3/4 cup. Crumble the remaining dough over the apple caramel layer and pat gently.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Drizzle  the extra caramel sauce (feel free to drizzle as much as you like- 1/4 cup is just my suggestion, but who am I to tell you when to stop?) and an extra sprinkling of fleur de sel over the squares and serve.