Inside BruCrew Life

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Caramel Apple Bars

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These gooey Caramel Apple Bars are loaded with fruit, nuts, and caramel. Try a warm square topped with vanilla ice cream for an easy fall dessert!

Caramel Apple Bars - fruit, nuts, and caramel makes these gooey bars a must make recipe. Great fall dessert for every party! #apple #caramel #dessert #fall #easy #recipe #applebars
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So, the other day I stopped at the grocery store for something.  I walked in the door and up and down a few aisles before realizing that I had absolutely no idea what I was there for.

The funny thing is that I still don’t remember what I needed.  It must not have been that important.

I decided to just head down the baking aisle because why not. Not because I needed anything.  Our pantry shelves are fully stocked in chocolate chips and candy.  But you never know what you might need, or what you might find that just has to come home with you.

Caramel Apple Bars - this easy spice bar recipe is loaded with apples and walnuts! Top these gooey bars with a scoop of ice cream for an awesome fall dessert! #apple #caramel #dessert #fall #easy #recipe #applebars

Caramel Apple Bars

I am so glad that a spice cake and a container of caramel dip jumped into my cart while I was wandering the store.  I really didn’t have any ideas of what I was going to make. But then my mind started to go a mile a minute thinking about all the fall dessert ideas I could make with the apples that were in my refrigerator.

This Caramel Apple Bundt Cake and these Cinnamon Sugar Apple Donut Holes are usually my go to apple desserts, but I wanted to do something different this time.

These apple pie bars are like a 7 layer bar except you use caramel dip instead of the traditional sweetened condensed milk.  I am so glad that my husband had a meeting at the church on the same day I made these.

It would have been very dangerous for me to keep these Caramel Apple Bars in my kitchen for very long.  They were so delicious and gooey!

Trust me and try one of these easy apple bars with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on it!!!  You are welcome!

Caramel Apple Bars - these easy gooey bars are the perfect fall dessert! Make a pan and serve it warm with ice cream! #apple #caramel #dessert #fall #easy #recipe #applebars

Tips for making Caramel Apple Bars:

Combine the dry cake mix, butter, and apple cider until a soft dough forms.

Spray your hands with nonstick spray and press half the dough into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

Spread the caramel apple dip over the dough in the pan.

Sprinkle the top of the dip with apple chunks and chopped walnuts.

Drop the rest of the dough in small pieces evenly over the top.

Bake and cool. Drizzle the top of the apple bars with the glaze. (full recipe below)

Try to resist the urge to devour the entire pan of Caramel Apple Bars in one sitting!

Caramel Apple Bars - gooey cake bars loaded with apples, walnuts, and caramel. Great fall dessert recipe! #apple #caramel #dessert #fall #easy #recipe #applebars
More easy apple dessert ideas you may like:

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Yield: 24 squares

Caramel Apple Bars

Caramel Apple Bars

These easy Caramel Apple Bars are loaded with fruit, nuts, and caramel. Try a warm square topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an awesome fall dessert!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 spice cake mix
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup apple cider
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 cups diced apples
  • 1 cup caramel apple dip (sold in the produce section by the apples)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Combine the cake mix, butter, and apple cider until it forms a soft dough.
  3. Press half the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. You will need to spray your hands with baking spray too.
  4. Spread the caramel dip over the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with the apples and walnuts.
  5. Drop the rest of the dough over the top of the mixture in the pan. Try to drop small pieces evenly everywhere. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least one hour.
  6. Stir together the powdered sugar and the water. Drizzle over the top of the bars. Let set.
  7. Refrigerate bars until ready to serve. Heat a square in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and top with vanilla ice cream for an amazing treat.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g
© Jocelyn @ Inside BruCrew Life
Cuisine: American / Category: Brownies & Bars
 Caramel Apple Bars - this gooey bar recipe is loaded with fruit, nuts, and caramel. Add vanilla ice cream to make an awesome fall dessert! #apple #caramel #dessert #fall #easy #recipe #applebars

*The post and recipe for these Caramel Apple Bars was originally posted on September 25, 2013. The photos and post has been updated and republished on September 17, 2018.

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Comments

  6. Tieghan says

    Ha!! I have so been there! I think it means our brains our overworked. Too much recipe development! 🙂

    These bars look awesome, so glad you remembered how to bake!

    Reply

  9. Marcie says

    Between you and and Aimee, apple week is going to kill me! I just want to reach into the screen and grab one of these right now. Spice cake, apples, and caramel? Too good to be true.

    Reply

  11. Vicki Bensinger says

    Wow what great recipes, they all sound delicious. These apple bars are so simple to make and semi-homemade which is even better. Like you, I’d better make these on a day that I have someplace to go, otherwise I’m sure I will devour them. Great recipes!

    Reply

  21. Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says

    Hey there could always be something you missed in the baking aisle! ALWAYS. It’s like my little home within the grocery store heehee so I always gravitate there, and now I want to go there and get some cake mix to make these bars! Caramel, apples, easy-to-grab-and-go bars? I’ll take a million.

    Reply

  22. Lindsay @ Life, Love and Sugar says

    These look amazing! That gooey center of caramel – I’m dying! Must. make.

    I can never seem to avoid the baking aisle – it just calls to me! But then I always come home with stuff I didn’t need but want to bake something with. A good kind of problem to have I guess. 🙂

    Reply

  24. Carla says

    Ha I do the same thing in the baking aisle! “There’s nothing written on my list, but I better check the baking aisle just in case.” These caramel apple bars are just calling my name….

    Reply

  33. Ann says

    What type of apples did you use/or would work? Also do you think putting down a layer of caramel bits would work instead of the apple dip? Im looking forward to making these this weekend, they look delicious

    Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      I used the bagged Crunch Pak apples for these bars. And yes, the caramel bits would work too. I actually made it this way my second time. You need to melt the caramel bits down with some milk though, so it is creamy.

      Reply

  37. Aubrey Z says

    I bake every week for the O-line of the Wheaton College football team. These were this week’s treats. Not sure how they would be received since I usually make cookies, brownies or cupcakes. The feedback was surprising! Some of the guys said it was the best thing they have ever tasted, while others decribed it as Christmas! Definitely will be making this again!

    Reply

  38. Ann says

    For some reason mine didn’t firm up properly. Family loved them but I will tweak if I make again. Maybe use my own caramel…thicker and no artificial taste. Or just find a better caramel dip!

    Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      Was your apple dip thick? The one I used was really thick, but these really aren’t a firm kind of a bar. More like an apple caramel bar crumble 🙂 Definitely play around with the recipe…homemade caramel dip would be delicious.

      Reply

  42. Jessica says

    I just made these tonight and had some while still warm and they were amazing! I could not find spice cake mix at my grocery store so I used Duncan Hines carrot cake mix and it worked perfect! Of course I left out the extra packet of carrots and raisins that is is in the box.

    Reply

  43. Beth says

    these look delicious!! thank you for posting – i am new to your blog and will continue to follow 🙂 i want to try these tonight, but i dont have any caramel apple dip (which i have never tried). can i substitute for dulce de leche instead and if so, how much?

    Reply

    • Jocelyn Brubaker says

      Hi, Debbie. I have not frozen these bars before. I’m actually thinking it wouldn’t work too well because as the caramel thaws it could leave condensation and that would make the cake layer mushy. How far in advance do you need this made? It would be fine to make a few days ahead of time if you kept it covered.

      Reply

      • Debbie says

        I kind of thought the same. I was going to make it up for company that is coming in a couple of weeks so don’t have to do everything all the day before.

        Reply

  45. Anna says

    When I mixed the cake mix, butter and apple cider together it was more of a sticky mess rather than a soft dough. Did I do something wrong?

    Reply

    • Jocelyn says

      I have never tried freezing these bars, and I’m not really sure that it would work. I feel like the gooey caramel layer would not thaw out the same. Hope that helps!!

      Reply

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