Mary berry Caramel Apple Pie Bars
gluten free caramel apple pie bars are addicting!
I just made a batch of gluten free caramel apple pie bars and I cannot stop eating them. If I’m not careful, they are going to be gone by the time everyone gets home!
I was looking for that “McDonalds fried apple pie” taste with this recipe. I experimented with at least three or four different batches before I finally got all of the ingredients right. Do you remember, years ago, when McDonalds fried their apple pies? The texture of the crust and that sweet apple filling inside were irresistible to me.
I was a very picky eater when I was a little girl and for some odd reason I hated the texture of cooked fruit. Whenever I got one of the apple pies from McDonalds I would pick out all of the apples and only eat the pie crust and that delicious cinnamon syrup. I wanted to recreate that experience by making a smooth apple filling for the middle layer of my bars. I made it by pureeing the apples in a food processor and then mixing them with brown sugar and cinnamon. When you bite into one of these bars, they almost melt in your mouth!
These bars taste just like the fried version, but they are baked and gluten free. If you are on a gluten free diet, you need to give this recipe a try. This is the best gluten free dessert I’ve ever had. They are addicting!
Gluten Free Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Author: Amy Duska
Recipe type: Dessert
Crust:
- 1 stick butter, melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats
Apple Filling:
- 3 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, pureed and drained
- 3 T light brown sugar
- 2 T King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Crumble Topping:
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ⅓ cup King Arthur Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ stick butter, cold and cubed
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 300° and line an 8″x8″ baking pan with foil, making sure to let the foil hang over the edges
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt and stir with a spatula until smooth
- Add the flour and the oats to the butter mixture and stir until combined
- Pour into the baking pan and smooth the mixture evenly with your spatula, or press it by hand
- Bake for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and let cool while making the apple filling
- Turn the oven up to 350°
Apple Filling:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the apple puree, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg
- Stir until smooth and fully combined
- Spread the mixture on top of the crust
Crumble Topping:
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon
- Using your hands or a pastry blender cut in the cold butter until you get a crumbly mixture
- Sprinkle on top of the apple filling and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden brown
- Remove from the oven and let cool before placing in the refrigerator for 2 or more hours
- Cut the bars into squares and then drizzle with salted caramel
