Description
Three irresistible layers—buttery shortbread crust, spiced apple filling, and a pecan crumble—baked in a 9×13 pan and finished with warm caramel drizzle.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Buttery Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the Spiced Apple Filling
- 6 firm baking apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
For the Pecan Crumble Topping
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 1/2 sticks)
For Serving
- caramel sauce (for drizzling)
- cooking spray (for the pan)
Instructions
- Preheat & prep pan: Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang. Grease parchment with cooking spray.
- Make & par-bake crust: Beat softened butter with granulated and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in flour and salt on low just until a crumbly dough forms. Press firmly and evenly into pan and 1/2-inch up the sides. Bake 20 minutes until lightly golden.
- Apple filling: Toss sliced apples with lemon juice. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt; toss to coat. Spread evenly over warm crust.
- Pecan crumble: Whisk flour, chopped pecans, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter with a fork until coarse, buttery clumps form.
- Assemble & bake: Sprinkle crumble evenly over apples. Bake about 1 hour, until topping is deep golden and filling is bubbling.
- Cool, slice & serve: Cool 15–30 minutes in pan to set. Lift out using parchment, slice into 16 bars, and drizzle with warm caramel sauce just before serving.
Notes
Par-baking keeps the shortbread crisp under the juicy apple filling. For cleaner slices, cool to room temperature or chill briefly before cutting. Use tart-sweet baking apples (e.g., Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Pink Lady) for best texture.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Baking, Bars, Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 30
- Fat: 19
- Saturated Fat: 9
- Carbohydrates: 50
- Protein: 4
