Dutch Apple Pie Bars
I am totally and completely infatuated with fall. From pumpkin, apples and cinnamon to jeans, hoodies, football and everything in between… I love it all. It’s such a cozy time of year and I love the warmth that it brings, even though the days grow chillier. I’ve always loved apple pie, but have long been partial to the Dutch version. As much as I love pie crust, I just can’t resist the crumble topping of a Dutch apple pie. As much as I enjoy making a homemade pie, I love bar desserts for their ease of assembly and the ability to just grab one and eat it standing up. All of the same fabulous flavor without the need for a plate and fork.
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These bars are a perfect alternative to dutch apple pie, from the crust to the spiced apples and the buttery crumble. Not only can you eat them on the go, but you won’t feel nearly as bad about eating two or three of these, as opposed to two or three pieces of pie… that’s always a bonus! ;-)
One year ago: Salted Caramel Cashew Bark
Three years ago: The Famed Neiman Marcus Cookies
Five years ago: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dutch Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) animal crackers, (4 cups )
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
- Pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Streusel:
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing excess to hang over pan edges. If using foil, grease or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Make the Crust: Process the crackers, brown sugar and salt in a food processor until they have been reduced to fine crumbs, about 15 seconds. Add the melted butter and pulse to incorporate. Press the crumbs into an even layer in the prepared pan and bake until deep golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Cook on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Keep the oven on.
- Make the Streusel: Whisk together the flour, sugars and cornmeal in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and toss with a fork until the dry ingredients are all evenly moistened. Set aside.
- Make the Filling: Combine the apples, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Assemble: Spread the apples over the crust in an even layer and sprinkle with the streusel. Bake until the streusel is brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Using the foil or parchment overhangs, lift the bars from the pan and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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You can’t make these with just any animal crackers. I used the puffy kind (Stauffer’s brand) and the crust came out way too crumbly, not a crust at all. Very disappointing.
Looks so yummy: can’t wait to try! However 8 ounces = 1 cup. Did you mean 32 oz for 4 cups?
I tried the recipe today. I think It’s too much butter to use. And I didn’t like the taste at all. I did all the things to do but still not the flavor for me. I wouldn’t recommend it.
I just made these today and didn’t really like them. I wasn’t digging the crust, and I thought the topping was boring. I made a bunch of similar type recipes side by side, and my favorite (by far) was from Sally’s Baking Addiction (http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/07/03/salted-caramel-apple-pie-bars/) so I will give her a nod. Those were amazing!!! I also tried the cook’s country apple cobbler bars and thought those were boring. Well, to each their own, just thought I’d give my two cents. P.S. Love your website!
Can these be frozen. I make this every years for our small schools Thanksgiving Feast. (I never have leftovers of this one). However due to timing and scheduling can these be frozen?
Hi Kym, Yes, I think they would freeze just fine.
How many cups of crushed graham crackers would I need? Also, can I bake this in a smaller pan to get a thicker bar? Would I need to change the baking time?
Hi Mary, While I haven’t tried this with graham crackers, I would use the same amount as the animal crackers. If you bake it in a smaller pan, you will need to increase the baking time.
These turned out pretty good, but I had a couple issues making them. My little food processor was too small and I had to make the crust in two batches. Maybe that’s why the crust didn’t come out quite right. It was super crumbly, like fell apart easily just from picking up and was burnt a little on the edges. The apples and topping came out really good though.
I love the idea of using animal crackers as the crust! These look heavenly!
Hi! Any tips on how to make this a day in advance?
You can make them a day in advance, let them cool completely and then store in the refrigerator. I would take them out about an hour or so before you plan on serving them.
Michelle–
I made the bars last night, using the King Arthur Cookie Cookbook recipe for the crust instead of animal crackers. The cookies taste great with one caveat, the streusel is a little too dry. Do you think more butter might solve the problem? The taste profile is right on, but the streusel didn’t brown as much as one would like, and cooking longer would burn the rest of the cookie.
the source for the crust is a recipe from food.com, apparently sourced from the King Arthur Cookie Companion, not from their online site. http://www.food.com/recipeprint.do?rid=264962
You could try more butter, although you don’t want the topping to essentially melt, which I’ve seen happen with streusel toppings have too much butter. You say it was dry, but not brown enough. I’m wondering if your oven temperature is on par?
Hey Michelle, what a great recipe! I used digestive biscuits and accidently missed out pre-baking the crust. They tasted amazing and the crust holds itself well, so I’m curious why do you prebake it?
Thanks again for such a wonderful recipe. It’s a firm favourite and would have made this everyday if not because of all the sugar involved ;)
Hello Michelle,
I´m a spanish follower. I live in Madrid, Spain. I´ve made these yesterday and they are delicious and really easy to make. Thanks for sharing.
Just made these today. They are delicious! Will send a picture!
Thank you.
Brilliant! Apple pie is one of the favorite pies of my family. Specially my children, my God they really love pie. But for this Dutch Apple Pie, for sure an additional list of their favorites. Thanks for the recipe :D
Did u mean cornstarch vs cornmeal in the streusel ?
These turned out amazing! I used cinnamon teddy grahams for the crust and loved the flavor.
These look so good. Great recipe!
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I was so excited to make these over the weekend since it was such a perfect fall day today. So i made them this morning, and they were super easy to make. My only question is that the bottom is too crumbly. I measured out all the ingredients and used the right amount of melted butter. But after the bars have cooled and i go to cut them, the bottom is falling off. They tasted amazingly delicious, but do you have any advice on how to get the bottom crust to stay on? I was thinking of trying to add some quick cooking oats to the ground up animal crackers, similar to the oatmeal fudge bars recipe i’ve made from here. Any advice would be appreciated, since i plan to make this recipe a lot throughout the season. Thanks.
Hi Jimena, You could try adding some quick cooking oats, or try reducing the butter by a tablespoon or two to see if that helps. Also, make sure your oven isn’t running hot. You can reduce the baking time a little as well. That should help!
I can’t wait to make these! I have an intolerance to any type of corn product can you suggest what I should use instead of cornmeal.
Hi Penny, You can simply omit it; it adds a little bit of extra crunch but isn’t necessary.
Making these for this weekend–going up our camp @Pymatuning for some family/fun/food time! These look scrumptious! Thank you! : )
Follow up-
I did find the 8oz bag of animal crackers and used them. I had considered using vanilla wafers if I couldn’t get the animal crackers.
THe recipe turned out very well. Tasted best the day I made them. (But, I didn’t store them in the refrigerator.)
Fall gets the best of me as well… there’s something about the weather and the wardrobe and the yummy food you get to eat!!
i love apple pie, but mine is never as good as my grandma’s…i think i’ll stop trying and instead just make these. somehow i think i won’t be disappointed :)