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These Apple Butter Bars are just an easier way to make apple pie! These have a thick shortbread crust and topping and are sandwiched with apple butter – they’re like jam bars but even better!
Have you ever had apple butter? If you don’t know, it’s basically a thick applesauce. The smell and taste of it is incredible! If you’re a fan of pie, but are looking for something slightly different–this is the recipe for you. These are like jam bars or crumble bars and they’re SO good – every single bite you take will be like a bite into fall heaven!
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted butter – softened, but you can also use salted butter.
- All purpose flour – be sure to measure it correctly
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon: Makes your kitchen smell great and the recipe taste amazing.
- Apple Butter: Use my homemade apple butter recipe or a jar from the store.
- Walnuts: Chopped; they taste great with this recipe, but pecans would be fantastic too.
How to make Apple Butter Bars
- Make the crust & crumble: add butter, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a large bowl.
- Mix with a hand mixer until it becomes crumbly. (You may need to use your fingers to break up any larger chunks of butter.)
- Press into half into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Spread the apple butter over the shortbread crust in an even layer. Sprinkle with walnuts. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and press gently to compact. Bake until topping starts to turn golden.
- Cool completely before removing from pan. Cut into squares.
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Expert Tips
- Pre-baking the crust will help the bars be crunchy.
- When you’re mixing the crust it will be very crumbly and not seem like it’s coming together.
- Be sure to press the crust firmly into the bottom of the pan.
FAQs
Yes you can! In an airtight container!
Yes I recommend refrigerating them to keep them good!
Apple Butter Pie Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust & Crumble:
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups (372g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Filling:
- 1 ½ cups Apple Butter about 12 ounces
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9×13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Make the crust & crumble: add butter, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until it becomes crumbly. (You may need to use your fingers to break up any larger chunks of butter.) Press into half into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove crust from the oven. Spread the apple butter over the crust in an even layer. Sprinkle with walnuts. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and press gently to compact. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until topping starts to turn golden.
- Cool completely before removing from pan. Cut into squares.
Recipe Nutrition
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This recipe is so simple and so good. Is there a suggestion on how to decorate or “embellish” them so they look more “special occasion?” They taste “special occasion.”
These bars are so delicious !! The apple butter make this a winner . As for me , these taste so much like the old fashion apple stack cake that my grandmother always made. She would dry the apples, then cook them down, basically apple butter. They were delicious, it would take her all day to make this 13 layer apple stack cake and these bars taste so much like her cake. Thank you for a delicious desert that will now be my Go To. ….
Thank you Dorothy! These apple butter bars were a great way to use some of the extra jars I made but didn’t can. This one stood out from the rest because of that fantastic crust layer and I am so glad I found your recipe. I did add a little brown sugar to the topping just because I like the flavor but I had no problems with the crumble.I do think it was important you mentioned “mix by hand” because it definitely gives you control over the topping , squeezing different sized crumble for texture where a mixer would likely grind it to dust. Completely cool they had a great snap. Definitely will be making them again
It seems to have way to much flour, it’s still dusty. I just want to verify it is 3 cups of flour and 1 cup of butter?
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