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Apple Crisp Shortbread Bars

Apple crisp shortbread bars with a buttery shortbread base and spiced apple filling, finished with an oat crumble topping. Baked until golden with bubbling apples, then cooled completely for clean sliceable bars.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 57 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For shortbread base (doubles as crumble)
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
For apple filling
  • 4 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 0.333 cup granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
For serving
  • 1 Caramel sauce for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and first bake
  1. Preheat oven to 375F and line a 9x13 pan with parchment. This prevents sticking and makes bar lifting easy.
  2. Mix all-purpose flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then cut in cold unsalted butter until crumbly. Keep working until no large butter chunks remain.
  3. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping. Set it aside so it stays ready for the second bake.
  4. Press the remaining mixture firmly into the prepared pan, then bake 12 minutes. Bake until the base looks set and slightly dry on top.
Add apples and finish baking
  1. Toss apple slices with granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Mix until the slices are evenly coated.
  2. Layer the spiced apple mixture over the hot base. Spread it out in an even layer so it bakes uniformly.
  3. Scatter the reserved crumble over the apples. Leave small gaps so steam can escape and topping can brown.
  4. Bake 30-35 minutes at 375F until the topping is golden and apples are bubbling. Watch for active bubbling around the edges.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool completely before slicing. Cooling helps the filling set so bars hold their shape.
  2. Drizzle with caramel sauce to serve. Add it just before eating for the best texture contrast.

Notes

Pro tip: press the base firmly to create a compact shortbread layer that doesn’t crumble when sliced. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; rewarm briefly at 300F if you want the topping to feel crisp again. Freeze baked bars up to 2 months—thaw overnight in the fridge. For a lighter option, use light brown sugar in the base and topping while keeping the butter amount the same.