Gooey Apple Bars Recipe
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A gooey blondie with apples and cinnamon! This gooey apple bars recipe taste like a cinnamon roll and apple pie in one!
Whether it’s Fall and it’s apple season, or you just need a quick crazy good dessert then these apple pie bars are your friend for sure.
There is something about the smell of cinnamon that just puts me in a good mood. And I love when I can put them in a bar dessert for you that I know you and anyone who gets to try one is going to love. Gooey apple pie bars. I mean what’s not to love about that title right?
They are like if a cinnamon roll and an apple pie got together and had a baby- it would be these apple pie gooey bars.
What are these apple bars like?
They are gooey. Moist. Delicious. I used the The Best Blonde Brownie Recipe as the base for these but I added cinnamon, chopped fresh apples, and snuck in a a layer of condensed milk in the middle.
The condensed milk gives it a gooey texture and a bit of a caramel flavor to these. Basically Fall dessert heaven.
What ingredients do you need to make these apple bars?
- All purpose flour
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Butter
- Light brown sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Apples
- Condensed Milk
- Milk
- Powdered Sugar
How to make these apple pie bars
Start by preparing your 9×9 pan with aluminum foil and give it a quick non-stick spray. The foil helps to lift the bars out easily after they are done.
Pro Tip: Turn the pan upside down and form the foil over the pan. Then flip the pan over and the foil will fit right inside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk your flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together.
Go ahead and whisk your wet ingredients together in a second bowl.
Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined. Be sure to not overmix.
Then fold in the chopped apple. I used 2 Granny Smith apples for this post. But Gala or Honeycrisp would also work. You can also read my post on What Are The Best Apples For Baking?
Next you will spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
And then pour the condensed milk over (this is the gooey part!)
And top with the remaining batter. This part can get a little tricky, some of the condensed milk may be peeking through. Don’t be afraid to use your fingers to help spread the batter around.
Then bake these bars until the top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes. Be sure to not overbake.
Once the bars have cooled make the glaze. Super simple just whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together. And drizzle over the bars!
Tips for making this Apple Bars Recpe
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly for these bars. Scoop and level with a flat edge. For a full tutorial read this post.
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes prior to baking.
- To fit the foil into your pan, just flip the pan over and mold the foil to the underside of the pan. Then flip it back over and pop the foil in!
What type of apples are best for baking?
My go to combination is always Cortland apples with Granny Smith apples. They are a perfect pairing of sweet and tart.
I used MacIntosh for these. They get very soft so I preferred them for these bars.
If you can’t find those here are a few more great apples for baking:
- Jonagold
- Braeburn
- Honeycrisp
- Golden Delicious
- Northern Spy
- Pink Lady
For more information, read What Are The Best Apples For Baking?
More apple recipes to try
Tools Needed To Make This Recipe:
- 9×9 Square Pan
- Spatula
- Whisk- this is my NEW favorite whisk (comes with a bowl scraper!!!)
If you love this recipe or have any questions, let me know and leave me a comment and star rating! And don’t forget to subscribe to never miss new recipe or baking tutorial! As a thank you I will send you my 10 baking tips!
Gooey Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter melted, cooled
- 1 1/2 cups (320 g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 apples (about 2 cups) chopped
- 1 14- ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
For the Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350° F. Line a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk melted butter and sugar together in medium bowl until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Using rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined; do not over mix. Fold in the chopped apple.
- Spread 1/2 of the batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula.
- Pour the condensed milk over the batter. Top with the remaining batter. This part can get a little tricky, some of the condensed milk may be peeking through. Don’t be afraid to use your fingers to help spread the batter around.
- Bake until top is shiny, cracked, and light golden brown, about 45 minutes; do not overbake. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Remove bars from pan by land transfer to cutting board.
- While the bars are cooling prepare the glaze. In a small bowl combine the glaze ingredients. Use a fork or whisk to combine. Drizzle over the cooled bars. Cut into 12 large or 16 small(ish) bars and serve.
Notes
- Tools: 9×9 Square Pan | Spatula |Whisk- this is my NEW favorite whisk (comes with a bowl scraper!!!)
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly for these bars. Scoop and level with a flat edge. For a full tutorial read this post.
- Make sure your eggs are room temperature. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes prior to baking.
still wondering if we are to bake it 25 min or 45 min. Mine came out liquid last night, and I baked it 30 min. LeeAnna at lapaylor at gmail dot com
Hi LA Paylor, sorry for the delay I will update this recipe but 45 minutes is correct.
making these for the second time, and just noticed at the top it says bake 25 min and at step7 it says bake 45… oy vey what a big difference. Do we bake longer or shorter???