Tessa's Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like an apple pie, apple crisp, and a brown sugar snickerdoodle cookie had a delicious baby.
Texture: The cookie is thick and chewy, the apples are soft and gooey, and the topping is crisp and buttery.
Ease: So much easier than making an apple pie!
Pros: Simple and tasty fall recipe that’ll make your kitchen smell heavenly.
Cons: None, except maybe that these bars aren’t quite as pretty as an apple pie.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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These Apple Crisp Cookie Bars are the quintessential “welcome to fall” bake I always crave as soon as fall rolls around.
Living in Phoenix, we typically don’t get much of a fall. It’s so sad! One of these years I’d love to spend a couple of weeks somewhere beautiful with brilliant changing leaves, crisp mornings, and lots of cozy baking.
In the meantime, I’m willing some cooler temperatures with this fun, easy fall dessert.
These bars are much easier to make than an apple pie. They’re also easier to transport than an apple crisp. But they taste equally as amazing with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
This recipe basically consists of a soft yet chewy brown sugar cinnamon cookie bar, layered with apple pie filling, and topped with crispy sweet oaty streusel. Every bite is a taste of autumn delight.
It may seem like there are a lot of ingredients when you take a peek at the recipe below, but most of them repeat themselves and it all comes together pretty quickly.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Apple Crisp Cookie Bars
What Type of Apple is Best for Apple Crisp Cookie Bars?
- I recommend Granny Smith apples for these Apple Crisp Cookie Bars.
- Golden Delicious, Gala, and Honeycrisp are great alternatives.
- Feel free to use a mixture of apples!
- Whatever type of apples you use, be sure to slice them evenly, for even baking.
Do I Need to Peel the Apples?
This is really a matter of personal preference, but I always opt to peel my apples to avoid the texture of cooked apple skins. If that texture doesn’t bother you, feel free to skip peeling the apples to save time.
The Cinnamon
Note that older spices carry less flavor and fresh spices will carry a LOT more flavor – so check to make sure your cinnamon has not expired. If it has expired, toss it and purchase a new container.
What Pan Should I Use for the Apple Crisp Cookie Bars?
Use an 8×8-inch light-colored metal baking pan. I don’t recommend using glass, ceramic, silicone, or other types of pans here. Learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
Can I Double This Apple Crisp Cookie Bars Recipe?
Sure! Double all the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch metal pan. Add a few minutes to the baking time.
How Should I Serve Apple Crisp Bars?
- The best way to serve these Apple Crisp Cookie Bars, in my opinion, is with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
- You can get creative with other toppings, like a drizzle of caramel sauce for an even more deliciously decadent dessert.
- Whipped cream would also be a tasty option.
How to Store Apple Crisp Bars
Store Apple Crisp Cookie Bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
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Ingredients
For the bars:
- 1 1/2 cups (191 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 grams) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the apple mixture:
- 2 small Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the oat topping:
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (30 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
Instructions
Make the bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch metal baking pan with parchment or foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large heatproof bowl, melt the butter. While the butter is still hot, add the brown sugar and stir until combined. Allow to cool slightly before adding the molasses, milk, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Gently stir in the dry ingredients.
- Smooth the mixture into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 17 minutes, or until the edges are just set but the center is still undercooked.
Make the apple mixture:
- While the crust is baking, combine the apple ingredients a medium bowl. Carefully arrange the slices over the par-baked crust in one even layer.
Make the topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredient mixture until a coarse meal forms. Sprinkle all over the apples.
- Return the pan to the oven and continue baking until the topping is golden and the apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing and serving. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
This recipe was originally created in 2018 and has been updated with more baking tips and information.
I made this for my family for thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit! It seems like a lot when you break it down, but it’s super simple once you’re in the process. Very glad I bought a pastry blender for the topping as I’ve never used one before; definitely made it easier on my hands. So happy with how this turned out!
Hooray! So glad you made this recipe for Thanksgiving!
So delicious!
Thanks so much!
Yum! Made exactly to recipe. Not too sweet, great flavor. Will be made again, for sure!
The taste of this dessert is phenomenal, but I had trouble getting the right texture. The bar part was just like a gooey, sticky layer on the bottom. I pre-baked the cookie. Then after the second baking, I baked it for longer when I saw that it wasn’t done when I cut into it, but only the edge pieces got a little bit more solid. I don’t have a metal baking dish that size, though, so I used a glass one. Could that have been the problem? Is there something else that I likely did wrong? Should I have pre-baked the bottom longer? The flavor is so great, I’d like to try again…
Yes, the glass baking dish caused this issue unfortunately. Glass bakes much slower than metal. If you must use glass, try reducing the temperature to 325°F and baking about 20% longer at each interval.
I made this for my family, and they all loved it!! This recipe is SOOOOOOOO good! It literally tastes like an apple pie and apple crumble had a baby. I would highly recommend this recipe! Thank you Tessa!!!!!
Can these be made a few days in advance? Made them ahead for Christmas dessert and unsure how to store them until then…
What type of cream are you using for the apple mixture
Thanks
Ken
I don’t usually make cakes like this cuz there’s not much time to spend on anything but one bowl recipes, but boy am I glad I made these!!!! They were incredible! I used Bramley apples and so had to slice them thinner and added a nut and seed mix to the crumble topping. Delish! Om Nom Nom
This is an awesome dish. I love to cook this for my family. Thanks a lot for sharing this amazing recipe.
What kind of molasses do you use?
These look delicious! If I were to double it, should I use a 9×13 pan?
Yep!
These look great! What kind of cream is used? Also, can you recommend a substitute for the molasses?