Easy Apple Pie Bars | The Domestic Rebel

author holding an apple pie bar slice against a plain white background

These Apple Pie Bars are surprisingly simple to make and great for feeding a crowd! They will be one of my go-to recipes from now on!

I love me some apple pie. In fact, it is my favorite flavor of pie (besides banana cream – those are in a neck-and-neck tie) but making it can be kind of.. annoying? Traditional pies can be so finicky, but not this recipe.

This recipe is for apple pie BARS which means the pie is a slab pie baked in a 13×9 rectangular baking pan rather than a round pie dish. This simple pan swap is key to making this recipe so much easier in my humble opinion. Not only does it stretch the recipe further so you get more apple pie for your buck, there’s less fuss over crimping pie dough, making special designs, etc. you’d need to do for a traditional pie.

apple pie bars stacked two high on a black wire rack with other apple pie bars in the background

Apple Pie Bars

These bars are surprisingly easy to make and begin with a homemade buttery pastry crust. I know I usually take crust shortcuts with prepared crusts for my pies, but this one is so simple! You literally throw flour, an egg yolk, some milk, salt, and butter into a food processor and pulse it until a dough comes together. I mean, how easy is that right?

Next, you’ll press half of pie crust into your prepared pan. Top it with your seasoned apple filling (that is just sliced, peeled Granny Smith apples, vanilla, flour, sugar and spices) and top it with the remaining crust. The most difficult part is topping it with the second half of the pie crust and trying to fit it over the filling, but I promise, it’s still doable and very easy!

To add some sparkle and crunch, I like to brush the top with a little egg wash and sprinkle some turbinado sugar over the top before baking. This adds great texture, a little crunchy, sparkly sugar action and looks fantastic.

Then you’ll bake these beauties up and get the most glorious slab apple pie bars everrrrr.

The combination of the buttery, flaky pie crust with those gooey, cinnamon-spiced apples is absolute heaven! I know you’re going to love these.

author holding an apple pie bar piece to show texture and interior of the apple pie bar

*slightly adapted from Love Grows Wild

Apple Pie Bars

These Apple Pie Bars are seriously INCREDIBLE! The combination of the buttery, flaky pie crust with the gooey, cinnamon spiced apples is heaven!

Prep Time1 hr 30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time2 hrs 30 mins

Course: Dessert, Pie

Cuisine: American, Dessert

Servings: 16 bars

Ingredients

For the Pastry Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup milk (2% or whole milk)

For the Apple Filling:

5 cups peeled, cored and diced apples (I used a mixture of Granny Smith & Honeycrisp)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

For the Topping:

1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp turbinado sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° degrees F. Line a 13×9″ rectangular light metal baking pan with foil or parchment. Spray the foil or parchment with cooking spray; set aside.
In a food processor, add the flour and salt; pulse to mix. Add in the diced cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the egg yolk and milk and pulse until a soft dough comes together and can be formed into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
For the filling: In a large bowl, combine the apples, vanilla extract, sugars, flour, and spices and mix well, ensuring the apples are thoroughly coated.
To assemble: Cut the pastry dough in half and roll out one half of dough into a 13×9″ size rectangle. Gently drape the pie dough over your rolling pin and unroll it into your prepared pan in an even layer. Fill the pie layer with the diced apples, including the juices. Roll out the remaining pastry slightly larger than 13×9″ size. Drape it over your rolling pin and unroll it gently over the apple pie filling. It should be slightly larger than the filling. Try to tuck the oversize edges around the pie for a crust, taking care to try and seal in the apple filling.
Brush the top of the pie crust with the lightly beaten egg wash. Sprinkle evenly with the turbinado sugar. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until golden brown and pie crust appears set. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving.