These Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars are full of fresh apples and cinnamon chips and are topped with a creamy cinnamon frosting. Homemade oatmeal bars are a delicious treat to enjoy this fall.
Sometimes you just need to stop and take a look around you. There are so many things in our lives to be thankful for, but we tend to get busy and not notice many of these things.
I am so guilty of doing this in so many areas of my life. But when I get discourage or down about things going on, I try to open up my eyes and find the happy things in life to give me a better perspective on my life.
I have a loving husband who fully supports all this crazy baking that I do from our home. As I get busier with projects and deadlines, he has been stepping in and helping me out by doing social media and by making dinners some nights.
We have three kids who are getting bigger and helping out more without us always asking them. Oh, don't get me wrong, they still try to get away with things and forget to do their chores each week, but they are also at such a fun stage in life.
They say and do the most hilarious things now to make us laugh. God has definitely blessed us with easy going kids who get along.
Then there are all the small things in life that I usually just take for granted or that I overlook such as new flowers growing, green grass, sunsets, thunderstorms with awesome streaks of lightening, a cup of coffee in the afternoon, clean sheet day, or smiles from a stranger.
My goal this week is to notice the small things in life and to be thankful for where I am at this very moment.
One big thing that I am thankful for is that I am able to work from home doing a job that I absolutely love. I still have to pinch myself because I get to create and share fun recipes like these Caramel Apple Bars or this Snickerdoodle Apple Cake from my own kitchen.
Over the years I have been coming up with new ways to change up these Caramel Oatmeal Bars. Adding shredded apples and cinnamon chips is a fun way to get that apple a day in your diet. Oh, wait...maybe that's not what they really meant. Wink, wink.
How to make Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly mix this into the butter mixture.
- Shred the apples with a food processor or hand held grater. Stir the apples and cinnamon chips into the batter.
- Spread the batter in a greased pan and bake.
- Cool the apple bars and top with cinnamon frosting. (full recipe below)
The creamy homemade cinnamon frosting takes these apple bars to a whole new level. The plain apple bars are great for snacking on for breakfast, but trust me, and add the frosting. It just gives these apple oatmeal bars a little something extra.
More easy apple recipes
Recipe
Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars
These Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars are full of fresh apples and cinnamon chips and are topped with a creamy cinnamon frosting. They are a delicious treat to enjoy this fall.
Ingredients
For the Bars
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 cups shredded apples
- 1 cup cinnamon baking chips
For the Frosting
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again.
- Stir together the flour, oats, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
- Stir in the shredded apples and cinnamon chips by hand.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 24-25 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove and cool completely.
- Beat the butter, vanilla, and salt until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and whipping cream a little at a time until everything is mixed in.
- Beat the frosting on med-high speed until light and creamy. Spread over the cooled bars. Store in a sealed container on the counter.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 274Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 3g
*The post for these Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars was first published on April 13, 2015. The photos have been edited again, and the post was republished on September 17, 2019.
Sinthia Lawren
Hello Jocelyn!
Dessert is my favorite. Frosted Cinnamon Apple Bars was so delicious. Thanks for sharing this idea.
Chels+R.
These look delicious! I'm loving that frosting!
Jocelyn
Girl, that frosting totally made these bars 😉
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures
Yummy cake! I could be much more grateful for the small but wonderful things in my life too!
Kelly @ Mostly Homemade Mom
Oh my kids would love these bars!!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
Such a great reminder, Jocelyn! Love these apple bars, especially that cinnamon frosting!
Mrs. T
These look so yummy, Jocelyn. And the post itself is just as good. I so enjoy how you post about slices of your life, things that are going on, and your thoughts. Your recipes are fabulous but your posts are so much more than recipes. Today's post is especially good. Thanks for the encouragement!
Jocelyn
Thank you so much!! Lately I have been feeling the need/desire to post more stuff like this. I am so glad you enjoy these kinds of thoughts along with the recipes 🙂
Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze
Thanks for the reminder Jocelyn. I need to slow down and appreciate the small things. 😉 These bars look so good! I am such a sucker for bars. I just love them and can't get enough. I also love apple desserts. They are the best in my opinion. 😉 Happy Week!
Jocelyn
Slowing down is always a good thing!! And yes, bars are one of my weaknesses too!!! 🙂
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
What a great message today Jocelyn! I need to do that more too. It's so easy to get caught up in the stress of life and forget about the happy things !
Jocelyn
Yes, stress has a way of making us forget about those little things in life that we take for granted. This week I have really been trying to be grateful for where I am right now.
Stephanie+@+Macaroni+and+Cheesecake
These look wonderful! And I totally agree on sharing the wealth of calories with others, haha! Love your thoughts on gratitude that you shared! So easy to forget to be thankful for the little things, but it's so neat how God uses thankfulness to change our perspective and lift our spirits. If I'm feeling down or frustrated, if I think of all the blessings in my life (even the little things) then my attitude completely turns around.
Jocelyn
Girl, I totally hear you!!! Sometimes we just need to focus on those things that we have. I am so thankful God uses them to change my attitude too!!!
Jenny Flake
These look amazing!! That frosting!! 🙂
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
These look totally delicious and I will definitely make these when there's a crowd... can't be gobbling up all my desserts like usual after a big Spring Break food fest 🙂
Elle @ Only Taste Matters
You are right the cinnamon frosting is the cherry on the sundae so to speak. And I love clean sheet too!☺
heather+@french+press
it's hard not to love apples and cinnamon and my kids LOVE those crunch pak slices - we ALWAYS have them in the fridge
Jocelyn
Apple and cinnamon just go together so well. We always have these apples in our fridge too 🙂
Mir
You know how amazing your life is and you're grateful, Jocelyn, which makes you a wonderful person. Some people never know what they have.
And these bars are also something to be grateful for! They look SO good.
Jocelyn
Thank you so much Mir. I think it is so important to stop and refocus and see how much we really have to be thankful for each and every day!!!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel
Those look SO incredible! I love how hearty they look and I love the cinnamon spice. 🙂 Yum!!
Jocelyn
That cinnamon spice frosting totally made these bars!!!
Jen @ Baked by an Introvert
I love all things apple! These bars are my kind of heaven.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
These look amazing. You know how much I love apple treats 🙂
Jocelyn
Thanks girlie! I know the apple love too 😉
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Apples and cinnamon are of my favorite combinations! These bars look perfect, Jocelyn! I love how soft and full of flavor these are. Sounds like a great breakfast! Pinned!
Jocelyn
Thank you Gayle!!!