These easy Caramel Apple Bars have a soft cake mix crust, a gooey caramel center, and lots of apple chunks and nuts. Warm apple squares are a delicious fall dessert, especially when served with vanilla ice cream.
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During the fall months I love getting into the kitchen and making delicious desserts with different varieties of apples that we get from the store and the farmers market.
Sometimes I make this apple bundt cake, sometimes these cinnamon sugar apple donut holes, and sometimes it's as simple as a pan of apple nachos with tons of toppings.
One of my favorite apple desserts are these simple apple squares made with a cake mix.
Why You Will Love These Bars
These apple bars are similar to a 7 layer bar except you use caramel dip instead of the traditional sweetened condensed milk. It makes them so delicious and gooey!
- Easy to make in minutes. Using a cake mix and store bought caramel dip makes the layers come together quickly.
- Loaded with fruit and nuts. The hardest part of this recipe is chopping the apples and walnuts into bite sized pieces.
- So gooey and delicious! Trust me and try one of these easy apple bars with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Key Ingredients
This apple bars recipe is so easy to make with just a few ingredients. They bake up soft, gooey, and so good.
- Spice Cake Mix - Using a spice mix is an easy way to add flavor without extra ingredients. If you can't find one, use a vanilla or yellow cake mix and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Apple Cider - Gives the dough a little bit more apple flavor. You can also use water or milk in place of it.
- Caramel Apple Dip - You can find containers of this gooey dip in the produce section of most grocery stores. It is usually near the apples.
- Apples - Use whatever apple you like or have on hand. Usually 2 apples is all you will need.
- Walnuts - These really add a good flavor and crunch to the apple squares. If you do not like nuts or are allergic, just leave them out.
How to Make Caramel Apple Bars
Make the cake mix crust. Combine the dry cake mix, melted butter, and apple cider in a medium bowl Mix it until a soft dough forms.
Assemble the layers. Spray your hands with Baker's Joy and press half the dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. The crust will be thin. Do not panic! Gently press and move the dough until it covers the bottom of the pan.
Spread the caramel apple dip evenly over the dough in the pan with an angled spatula. Slice and core the apples and chop the walnuts, then sprinkle them on top of the dip.
Bake and cool the bars. Drop the rest of the dough in small pieces evenly over the top. Place in a preheated oven and bake until bubbly. Remove and cool to room temperature.
Decorate and serve. Drizzle the top of the apple bars with simple powdered sugar glaze. These apple bars are delicious served plain, but they are even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream.
Storage Recommendations
These apple bars are best kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. They are delicious served cold, or you can reheat squares in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Because of the caramel and apples in the recipe they do not thaw out very well.
Tips and Tricks
- Spray the bottom of the 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray, then spray your hands before you try to press the dough out. It helps if you drop dough in different places on the pan rather than one spot.
- The dough is soft and very thin. Take your time as you press it out.
- Dice the apples and walnuts into small bite sized pieces, so they bake easily and quickly.
- Don't like nuts? Skip them or add toffee bits instead.
- Drop small pieces of dough all over the top of the fruit and nuts. Use a spoon to portion it out easier.
- Try sprinkling the top of the dough with cinnamon sugar to give the top a crunchy and sweet texture.
Recipe FAQ'S
We prefer to use Gala or Honeycrisp apples for all of our baked goods such as pies or bars. You want to choose an apple that holds up while it is baking. Other good varieties are Pink Lady, Jonagold, Granny Smith, or Cortland.
That is totally up to you. We usually save time and leave the peels on for most apple desserts. If you do not like the apple peel texture, peel yours first.
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Recipe
Caramel Apple Bars
These easy Caramel Apple Bars have a soft cake mix crust, a gooey caramel center, and lots of apple chunks and nuts. Warm apple squares are a delicious fall dessert, especially when served with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 spice cake mix
- â…“ cup unsalted butter, melted
- â…“ cup apple cider
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 2 cups diced apples
- 1 cup caramel apple dip (sold in the produce section by the apples)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Combine the cake mix, butter, and apple cider until it forms a soft dough.
- Press half the dough gently into the bottom of the prepared pan. You will need to spray your hands with baking spray to do this.
- Spread the caramel dip over the dough in the pan. Sprinkle with the apples and walnuts.
- Drop the rest of the dough over the top of the mixture in the pan. Try to drop small pieces evenly everywhere. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least one hour.
- Stir together the powdered sugar and the water. Drizzle over the top of the bars. Let set.
- 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.
Notes
- Spray the bottom of the 9x13 baking pan with nonstick spray, then spray your hands before you try to press the dough out. It helps if you drop dough in different places on the pan rather than one spot.
- The dough is soft and very thin. Take your time as you press it out.
- Dice the apples and walnuts into small bite sized pieces, so they bake easily and quickly.
- Don't like nuts? Skip them or add toffee bits instead.
- Drop small pieces of dough all over the top of the fruit and nuts. Use a spoon to portion it out easier.
- Try sprinkling the top of the dough with cinnamon sugar to give the top a crunchy and sweet texture.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 189Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 213mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 19gProtein: 2g
*The post and recipe for these Caramel Apple Bars was originally posted September 2013. The photos and post has been updated and republished on October 2022.
**We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com .
Rehoboth
Excellent recipe
Thanks
Martha
Could this be made in a 8x8 pan?
Jocelyn
I have not tested this recipe with an 8x8 pan. The dough will be thicker and there will be more apples and caramel, so I'm not sure how long it will take to bake through. The best guess I have is that it will probably need to bake around 40-45 minutes. But again, I'm not quite sure since it wasn't tested in that pan. Keep me posted if you try it this way.
Beth
Can these be frozen? Have you tried it?
Jocelyn
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!!
Paula
In the recipe it mentions milk but in the instructions it diesnt say anything about the milk. Am i supposed to mix the powdered sugar with the milk?
Jocelyn
I'm so sorry about that. It should say water, not milk. I went ahead and fixed the recipe. Enjoy the bars!!
Paula
Thanks! Personally, I don't eat cooked fruit but I made this for my husband. He raved about it. And, it made my house smell amazingly good for fall ? lol
Nancy
I have everything but the apple cider. Is there anything I can use in place of it?
Jocelyn
You could also use apple juice, milk, or water in place of the apple cider. I hope that helps and you enjoy the gooey apple bars.
Anna
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?
Jocelyn Brubaker
No, it is a very sticky dough. I have found that if you spray your hands with non stick baking spray, it makes it easier to press it into the pan.
Debbie
Does anyone know if these bars could me made ahead of time and freeze?
Jocelyn Brubaker
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.
Debbie
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.
Beth
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?
Jessica
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.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Great job improving with the carrot cake mix...and good call to leave out the carrots 🙂 I am so glad you liked the bars...they are one of my absolute favorites!!!
Rebekah
Made these last night for a gathering! They were awesome!! Everyone loved them! Thanks for a great recipe!!!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
I am so glad to hear that! Thank you for letting me know 🙂