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These EASY Apple Crumble Bars start with a cake mix! They’re like an apple pie bar with a crumble topping.
They may be fork-and-plate crumble bars but they’re HEAVENLY.
I am so excited for apple season! Fall is my favorite time of year, even though it’s over 90° here until at least mid-October. At least pretty soon the nights will get cooler and I can actually walk my dog in the morning without worrying about the pads of her feet.
We love to go apple picking this time of year. We didn’t go last year but I really hope we can carve out a weekend in this October. We do the rounds on our Apple Hill: doughnuts, apple picking, and apple pie. I absolutely love apple pie (it’s my favorite), which is why I have several on this site: crumb apple pie, apple slab pie, mini apple pies, apple cider pie and so many more apple recipes.
Even though it’s only August, I’ve already stocked up on apples. I have a bag of Gala and a bag of Granny Smith in my fridge waiting for me to make applesauce, apple butter, and so many more recipes.
These bars can be called apple crumb bars or apple crumb pie bars, or even apple crumble bars. There are so many names to for these easy bars I didn’t know what to call them.
They are similar to my Apple Cheesecake Bars but they are WAY easier to make because they start with a cake mix crust and have an oatmeal crumble topping.
Apple Crumb Bars are the perfect fall dessert, full of apples and crumble and oats. They’re an explosion of fall in your mouth!
Basically, these are apple pie bars with an oatmeal crumb topping. But they’re even easier than that because they start with a cake mix.
Remember how I make all my gooey bars? I do the same basic thing to a yellow cake mix: add butter and an egg to make a really thick dough. Part of the dough becomes the crust and the rest gets mixed with oats to form the crumble topping.
These apple crumble squares are gooey and crumbly, so they might not be great for a hand-holding dessert but they’re great on a plate with a fork and a generous drizzle of caramel and ice cream.
Cake mix recipes are just SO versatile that I couldn’t wait to try making apple crumb pie with one. And it works!
These bars just have 6 ingredients and I guarantee you will love them. It doesn’t get much easier than cake mix and apples and it doesn’t get much more “fall” than caramel apple pie with ice cream!
My tips for making these Apple Crumble Bars:
- Don’t skip the microwave step. I don’t like chewy apples in my desserts so I always precook them. Don’t have a microwave? Simply boil them on the stove in a bit of water for just a minute or so, or until they’re soft but not falling apart.
- It will seem like there isn’t enough batter to fit the bottom of a 9×13 pan, but there will be enough for a thin crust.
- Make sure these are cool before you slice them. They’re very crumbly anyway, so cutting them hot won’t help.
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APPLE CRUMBLE BARS
Ingredients
- 1 (approx. 15 ounce) box yellow cake mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 6 apples your favorite kind, peeled, cored, and diced
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13” pan with foil or parchment and nonstick cooking spray (optional for easy release).
- Stir together cake mix and melted butter until crumbly. Using a forks makes this easy.
- Place apples in a microwave safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Heat in the microwave on high power for 2 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the apples are just starting to get soft. (Length of time varies by microwave.) Drain the apples very well, then toss with cinnamon and sugar.
- Press half the cake mix into the bottom of the prepared pan to form a crust. Spread the apples over the top of the crust.
- Stir oats into the remaining cake mixture and sprinkle over the top of the apples.
- Bake 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and bottom is cooked through. Cool completely before slicing. Serve with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
Recipe Nutrition
You can also use homemade apple pie filling in these bars!
Apple Cheesecake Bars are another fall apple dessert!
This is the ONLY Apple Pie I ever make!
**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**
Last Updated on September 2, 2020
Everything u post looks delicious ,I can’t wait to make all of the recipes .I don’t know where to start . Thank you .
These were pretty easy, I had to cook my apples for 3 1/2 minutes in the microwave and I added a bit more cinnamon, but these are delicious!!!!
Hi Dorothy
In the description, you mention adding an egg, together with the margarine, to the cake mix. However there is no mention of an egg in the actual recipe. Which is correct – egg or no egg?
Thanks,
Sue Berry
No egg – in the post I was describing how that recipe inspired this one.
think we need the word “cup” after the “1/4” in step #3 ???
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