Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars

October 26, 2018 26 Comments

I love fall baking so much. Having the oven on in the crisp weather with the smell of warm spices permeating the house is so soothing and cozy to me. It also always means pumpkin and apple everything. Well, as much as I have been featuring pumpkin on here, it was time to use up some of my apples from apple picking. Let me tell you, these brown butter apple pie bars take the classic all-American dessert and take it to the next level! The crust is unapologetically full of a pound of butter for maximum decadence and the filling is pure cinnamony apple goodness.

Said unapologetically buttery crust was easy to make in my stand mixer. The key, as the name of this recipe suggests, was browning the butter first. It gave the crust that extra special depth of flavor. I just beat everything together and then pressed most of it into my greased 9 x 13 pan. Since the brown butter made everything slightly warm, I chilled the crust to set it for 20 minutes. Then I mixed the remaining dough with chopped walnuts for a crunchy crumb topping!
While the crust was doing its thing. I made the gorgeous filling. I sliced 6 peeled and cored apples super thin and then cooked them with butter, orange juice for some acidity, brown sugar and cinnamon. All totaled it took about 15 minutes to cook the filling so that the liquid all cooked off. It had such deep flavor and the apples smelled so good just on their own! It was tempting to just eat the filling. I may or may not have snuck a couple of forkfuls. You know, for quality control.
I spread the filling evenly over the bottom crust, then crumbled that gorgeous topping evenly to finish assembling the brown butter apple pie bars. It baked to golden perfection for about 25-30 minutes to really make the filling bubbly and crisp up the top.

I let it cool completely before I cut the tray into 16 squares. Then it was time to enjoy some wonderful fall baking with a cup of tea! Oh my goodness, I was really happy with this fun take on apple pie. It is perfect for Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, you name it since they are more portable and easier to cut than actual pie. Hope you all enjoy this recipe! xoxo

Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
4.84 from 6 votes
Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
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Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 10 mins
Chilling Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
 

These decadent brown butter apple pie bars are such a simple, wonderful and warmly flavored fall dessert to use that apple picking haul!

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Apple Pie, Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
Servings: 16 bars
Calories: 369 kcal
Author: Jeanie and Lulu's Kitchen
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
  • 1 pound butter (4 sticks)
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
FOR THE FILLING
  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 6 whole gala apples peeled, cored and very thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions

  1. First, get out a large 10 inch pan with deep sides and heat the butter in it over medium heat. Let it melt and then bubble until it turns golden brown and nutty. It turns quickly, so keep an eye on it. Then let it cool for about 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, while it cooks and cools get out a stand mixer and set it up with the paddle attachment and also liberally grease a 9 x 13 pan with either more butter or cooking spray. Add the two sugars and vanilla to the stand mixer bowl. Combine the flour, salt and cinnamon together in another bowl and whisk them together well. Then pour the cooled brown butter into the stand mixer bowl with the sugars and vanilla and beat them together thoroughly. Keep the pan you used for the brown butter though, don't put it in the sink. Then slowly pour in the dry ingredients until you have a lovely dough.

  2. Take 2/3 of the dough and press it firmly into the prepared baking dish to form a bottom crust, with it coming up the sides a bit too to help hold the filling. Let the bottom crust chill for 20 minutes. While it chills, take the walnuts and beat them into the remaining dough and set it aside. This will be the top crust. Pre-heat the oven to 375. Bake the chilled bottom crust for 20 minutes until it is set and golden brown. While it bakes, make the filling. Melt the butter in the same pan you used for the brown butter. Add the apples, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon. Let it all gently simmer for about 15 minutes to bring out the flavors and cook off almost all of the liquid. 

  3. Reduce the oven heat to 350. Take the crust and spread the filling out evenly on it. Then take the remaining dough and crumble it evenly all over the top. It may not necessarily cover it completely. Bake the bars for about 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and completely golden brown on top. Let them cool completely, then cut into 16 bars by making 3 even cuts horizontally and vertically. Serve and enjoy!! 

Nutrition Facts
Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
Amount Per Serving (1 bar)
Calories 369 Calories from Fat 254
% Daily Value*
Fat 28.2g43%
Saturated Fat 16.5g103%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 80mg3%
Potassium 100mg3%
Carbohydrates 29.4g10%
Fiber 1.4g6%
Sugar 21.6g24%
Protein 2.2g4%
Calcium 20mg2%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars
Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars

26 thoughts on “Brown Butter Apple Pie Bars”

  4. These sound incredible – looking forward to trying them! I’ve been very intrigued with browned butter lately, so am excited to have another avenue for it. Happy Fall!

  10. 5 stars
    I have got to make this recipe gluten free. It looks amazing, but I can’t have the flour. Apple is my go-to for desserts in the fall.

  12. 5 stars
    Yum! These sound fabulous. They sound like the perfect fall treat. Thank you for sharing, I am hosting Thanksgiving for the first time and needed some dessert ideas.

  13. 5 stars
    Oh wow this looks delicious! I’m no chef but I’ve got to try eventually right? I looooove apple pie so this is probably a great idea for me to try!

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4.84 from 6 votes (1 rating without comment)