Glazed Apple Pie Bars

Where classic apple pie spotlights the mountain of fruit filling, apple pie bars are for the crust lovers. These bars have layers of rich, tender shortbread on top and on the bottom, which are soft yet strong enough to be picked up.

The apple filling isn’t an afterthought, though. It’s entirely homemade from fresh apples, sugar, sweet cinnamon and spicy nutmeg. After baking the bars you’ll drizzle a homemade glaze right on top. Apple pie bars are easier than classic apple pie, can feed a crowd and only get better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The recipe makes 24 bars—enough to serve at a backyard barbecue, Halloween party or for Thanksgiving dessert.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Bars

• All-purpose flour: No need for fancy flour here. All-purpose flour gives just the right amount of tender softness and holding strength for the top and bottom shortbread crust.
• Baking powder: A touch of baking powder helps the crust puff up a bit.
• Shortening: Shortening is our fat of choice in our recipe for apple pie bars. When we tested butter, shortening and lard pie crusts, shortening gave the flakiest result.
• Egg yolks: Just the egg yolks bind the crust ingredients. Egg yolks have all the richness and fat, making the crust even more tender and soft for a truly perfect, sink-your-teeth-in bite.
• Lemon juice: Lemon juice brightens the flavor, adds acidity to the crust to make it more tender and prevents the apples from oxidizing and turning brown. Always use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
• Apples: Peel the apples first, then core and slice them. I would wait to do this task until the dough is in the refrigerator.
• Sugar: Sugar sweetens the apple pie filling. Feel free to use granulated sugar or light brown sugar for a little more caramel flavor.
• Spices: Fall spices are a welcome addition wherever apples bake. Here, we use cinnamon and nutmeg. I always like to grate my nutmeg fresh for the most powerful flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice and water.

Gradually add the egg mixture to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough in half, wrapping each portion in storage wrap, and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Refrigerating the dough solidifies the fat gives the flour time to hydrate, making it flaky and tender.

Step 2: Form the bottom crust

Roll out one portion of dough between 2 large sheets of waxed paper into a 17×12-inch rectangle. Transfer the dough to an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Press the crust onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan, and trim the dough so that it’s even with the top edge.

Step 3: Make the filling

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, toss the finely chopped apples with the sugar, all-purpose flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Spread the apple pie filling into the crust.

Step 4: Add the top dough

Roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the pan. Carefully place the dough over the filling. Brush the dough edges with water or milk, then pinch the edges to seal. Use a paring knife to cut slits in the top so steam can escape.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the apple pie bars until the crust is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool them completely on a wire rack.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t move on to the next step until the bars are completely cool, or the glaze will soak into the crust instead of setting into a pretty drizzle pattern.

Step 6: Add the glaze and serve

In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk and lemon juice until they’re smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the bars in a pattern of your choosing. Slice and serve the bars warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Variations

• Pile on a streusel instead: If you love texture on your desserts, you’ll love a streusel topping on these apple pie bars. Omit the top dough and whip up our streusel recipe instead. Add it to the unbaked bars and bake everything together.
• Finish with other toppings: If you want to top these apple pie bars with something other than the glaze, salted caramel sauce is an indulgent addition. Cinnamon sugar, confectioners’ sugar or raw sugar are also great options.

How to Store Apple Pie Bars

Store apple pie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for three to five days. You can store them for up to one week in the fridge, but know the crust will dry out a bit.

Can you freeze apple pie bars?

Yes, you can freeze apple pie bars. We recommend letting them cool and cutting them into bars before freezing, then storing them in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to four months.

Apple Pie Bars Tips

What are the best apples for apple pie bars?

The best apples for apple pie bars are tart, firm apples like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples. Avoid mealy apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious. Basically, the best apples for our apple pie bars recipe are the same that are the best apples for apple pie.

How do you serve apple pie bars?

Fruit pies (including this snack-sized version) taste better either warm or at room temperature. Refrigeration can make the flavor fade and the crust dry. These bars do need to cool a bit so the glaze will set, but if you prefer them heated up, you can always put them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or in a toaster oven.

Apple pie bars are spectacular with a scoop of the best vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream. A flavored whipped cream would work nicely here, too—think of flavors that complement apple pie, like coffee whipped cream, bourbon whipped cream or the cinnamon whipped cream from this pumpkin-chocolate tart recipe.

Can you use a premade pie crust instead?

No, this apple bar’s crust and topping cannot be replaced with pie crust. The bars have a shortbread crust, which is thick, tender and soft—not flaky and crispy like a pie crust.