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
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Dutch apple pie is my favorite way to make apple pie! These bars are perfect!!
These look delicious! I bet you could substitute graham crackers for the animal crackers.
Are you talking about the animal cookies that come in those little boxes?
They are kind of expensive, especially since you need 4 cups.
Any other cookies I could use?
Hi Jann, Yes, actually one regular-size box of animal crackers is 8 ounces, so you only need one box. However, if you don’t want to buy them, I imagine that graham crackers would be a good substitute.
These look awesome. I’m not much of a pie person, so I will take these any day. Always a bonus when they have a streusel topping.
I’m making these this weekend for company that’s coming from out of town!
These look amazing! I’ve (amazingly) managed to go through the 10 lbs of apples I picked just 10 days ago, so I guess its another trip to the orchard! (Or maybe just the market…)
Oh my, these look sooooo good!! I so wish I could just 3D print them & gobble them up…lol! And Katie Rhoads’ comment about drizzling them with some of the salted caramel seriously pushed these over the edge. MUST.MAKE.SOON!!!!
These sounds yummy! I’ve been so obsessed with pumpkin for fall that I’ve neglected apples! Must make these soon!
I love it! Dutch apple pie is one of my favorite things ever!! But I don’t always feel like making a pie. This sounds like a great alternative, especially for taking to a party! Can’t wait to try it!
These look delicious!
Helen
Blue Eyed Beauty Blog
Saw this on FB this morning and got right to work! Drizzled some of the salted caramel from the cupcakes from your site… Amazing!!!
Those look so yummy! It’s so cool that the crust is made of animal crackers. What a genius idea :)
I love apple pie, but I think I might love streusel topping even more…. These are a perfect mix of the two!
Perfect! I love that you mention you can eat a few of these as opposed to a few pieces of pie. VERY true!
Looks delish! Just one question – you meant after the crust has baked for 10-13 minutes for it to cooL on a wire rack for 20 minutes, right?
Hi Amy, Yes, you’re correct!
OK, this is the catalyst I needed to whip up the gluten-free vanilla wafers…because I NEED to make these bars!!! (No easy animal crackers for me…) I can SO make this work!
For some reason, making a pie often terrifies me so these are the perfect alternative. I also have a feeling that I’ll want to use animal crackers in all my baking now!
It’s apple season here in the NE and I will be making these alot throughout the season!
Hi, i’m from Australia and i don’t really know what/have animal biscuits, what could i use instead?
Animal crackers are these little animal-shaped cutout cookies, crispy in texture and slightly sweet with a bit of spice. Do you have graham crackers down under? They might be a good substitute if you do. Otherwise, there are recipes on the internet for homemade animal crackers. I have not tried it but I found one that seems similar to the commercial ones at confessionsofacookbookqueen.com. (eliminate the candy frosting for the Dutch Apple Pie Bars.) Another option is to order some from Amazon.com, though that might be kind of expensive with shipping. Good luck!
Does anyone else have a suggestion for our Ozzie friend?
Hi Rachael, you could use digestive biscuits instead. I did, and it worked fabulously!
Hi Rachael, You could use graham crackers in place of the animal crackers.
We don’t have graham crackers here either….or graham flour for that matter! So many recipes we can’t make! Boooo. ;)
biscuits are the same thing as cookies in England I would think they are the same as our animal cookies.
Animal cracker crust?!! Brilliant!
The only thing that can make apple pie better in my book is to make it portable and add a crumble topping, so clearly these are awesome :) Definitely going on my fall to-do list!
Totally in heaven with these.
Yep..these just SCREAM fall!
I love love apple pie bars. These look amazing!
Animal Crackers? I love that!! Great recipe!!!
Those look incredible! I’ve been jumping full swing into baking with apples the last week or two. So far I’ve done apple pie cookies and apple pie ice cream. Dutch apple pie is my favorite version of apple pie, I can’t wait to try these!
I always go crazy in the fall. Jeff and I took a walk last night just to enjoy the crisp chill in the air, especially sweet after such a brutal summer. These bars sound just wonderful.
Considering I have about twenty pounds of apples from apple picking, I am definitely going to be making these! They look so good and I love that it has the flavors of a pie in a bar. I love Fall recipes!
WOW! These look incredible! One of my favorite parts of fall is homemade apple pie. I’m excited about these bars..i can have apple pie on the go!
I’m with you on preferring the dutch apple pie! I can’t pass up that yummy crumble topping :) These look great!