You will love these Small-batch Apple Pie Bars with their buttery shortbread base, gooey apple cinnamon center, and crunchy streusel topping.
Last year around this time, I shared these Small-batch Pumpkin Shortbread Bars , and I love that recipe, but I’ve been dreaming about an apple version ever since. So today, that’s what I’m sharing: Small-batch Apple Pie Bars!
These bars turned out to be everything I wanted and more. On the bottom layer, you have a buttery beautiful shortbread layer. Over that is a slightly gooey center of diced apple, cinnamon, sugar, and a little lemon juice to brighten everything up. And on the very top is a crunchy streusel topping.
Lots and lots and lots of streusel topping.
This recipe is made in a 7×5-inch dish (as usual, I used a rectangular 3-cup Pyrex dish ) and makes 6 very generous squares or 8 smaller ones. You could also cut them super small and make cute Apple Pie Bites.
The bars are a tiny bit more labor intensive than some of my other fall recipes, but I think the finished product is well worth it, and none of the steps are difficult.
The shortbread base is your classic easy shortbread recipe, and the worst thing about the apple layer is that you have to peel an apple. Then after you get your hands a little dirty mixing up the crumble, you get to enjoy the amazing way your house will smell while everything bakes together.
If you’re craving pie, these bars hit all those Dutch Apple Pie sweet spots without requiring you to mess with pie dough. AND they have a higher ratio of sweet crunchy stuff to fruit than pie, so in my book, that’s major selling point for going the easy route and making these apple pie bars instead of a full pie.
Leftovers from these bars got boxed up and distributed FAST because when faced with a plateful of these squares, you kind of just want to slink back into the shadows with the whole thing and refuse to share with anyone.
My dad was one of the recipients of the leftover bars and he declared them the best apple bars he’s ever had . He’s also been known to tell me that things I’ve cooked for him are the worst things he’s ever eaten, so when he pays something a compliment, you know he’s telling the truth. 😉
More Fall Recipes
- Dutch Apple Galette for Two
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Shortbread
- Apple Crumb Muffins
- Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
Shortbread Base
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30g ) powdered sugar
- ▢ 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ( 17g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ▢ 1/2 cup (60g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
Apple Layer
- ▢ 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled and diced 1/4 inch
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ( 8g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ( 5g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Brown Sugar Streusel
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 38g ) brown sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter softened
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper (parchment paper is optional, but it’s nice to be able to lift the bars out of the dish to cut them).
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and salt, and beat until well mixed.
- Turn mixture out into your prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned.
Apple Layer
- While your shortbread bakes, combine diced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir together and set aside.
Brown Sugar Streusel
- In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter, and use a fork or your fingers to mix until the mixture begins to clump and crumbs form. Place streusel in the refrigerator until the timer goes off.
- Once the shortbread is lightly golden, remove from the oven and spread the apples over the top. Remove streusel from the fridge and drop in crumbles over the apples. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until streusel is lightly browned and apple filling is bubbling slightly.
- Cool completely before cutting and enjoy!
Notes
This super simple Mini Pumpkin Cake with cream cheese frosting and homemade candied walnuts is the perfect easy fall dessert to share with a couple friends.
It’s technically still summer, but I don’t care. I’m in full-on pumpkin mode now. Can’t stop this pumpkin train. I shared a small batch of Pumpkin Cupcakes a couple weeks ago, Cinnamon Sugar Baked Pumpkin Donuts last week, and today, I have a Mini Pumpkin Cake for you because you can never ever ever have enough pumpkin.
Folks, you have to make this cake this fall. It’s so soft and fluffy and pumpkiny and moist, and topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting, AKA THE BEST Cream Cheese Frosting. And since a cake this good deserves something pretty to garnish it, I added candied walnuts.
I don’t even like nuts usually, but these are soooooooo good. They’re crunchy, sugary, and so easy to make. You just need five minutes, a nonstick pan, and a little butter and sugar. The sugar melts and gets all gooey and caramelly and coats the walnuts in a crunchy candy shell when it cools. Served over the cake (or stolen by the handful), they are just fabulous.
This Mini Pumpkin Cake is baked in a 7×5-inch dish ( rectangular 3-cup Pyrex containers are perfect for this) and will make four very generous servings or six smaller ones. If you’re looking for a great-tasting low-stress fall dessert, I can’t recommend this cake enough.
It’s a cinch to throw together and can be on the table in about an hour, including the hands-off baking and cooling time. Plus, the candied walnuts on top fancy it up just enough that it looks like something that took 10 times the effort. And no one needs to know just how easy it actually was. 😉
More Fall Recipes
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 7x5-inch baking dish
Pumpkin Cake
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1 large egg
- ▢ 1/3 cup ( 66g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- ▢ 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons ( 111g ) canned pumpkin puree
Candied Walnuts
- ▢ 1 cup walnut halves or pieces
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 1/2oz ) butter if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 50g ) granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ▢ 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ▢ 4 tablespoons ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 2/3 cup ( 80g ) powdered sugar sifted
- ▢ Pinch of salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper*.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, sugar, vegetable oil, and pumpkin puree until very smooth. Whisk in flour mixture. Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few wet crumbs and when gently pressed, the top of the cake springs back.
- Cool completely before frosting.
Candied Walnuts
- While your cake is cooling, make the candied walnuts. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the counter along with an extra spatula or fork (you’ll need it to separate the nuts later).
- Heat a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add walnuts, butter, and sugar. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often (don’t leave unattended), until sugar is completely melted and a light amber and nuts are coated. Turn out walnuts on to prepared parchment paper, scraping all the sugar out onto the nuts. Use the two spatulas to separate the nuts into a single layer, scraping the cooling sugar on to them as you go. Be VERY careful with the hot sugar so you don’t burn yourself!
- Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then break the nuts apart.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, butter, and vanilla, and beat until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and salt and beat until well-combined.
- Spread over cooled cake and pile cooled candied walnuts on top.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Cake adapted from AllRecipes Candied Walnuts adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen
These Small-batch Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies are soft and chewy with plenty of pumpkin spice flavor, like the perfect chocolate chip cookie all dressed up for fall.
We are officially into fall now, and I’ve already shared a bunch of pumpkin recipes on the site this year, Pumpkin Donuts , Small-batch Pumpkin Cupcakes , and a Mini Pumpkin Cake , but I haven’t yet shared any pumpkin recipes with one of my favorite flavor combos, pumpkin and chocolate!
So today, I’m fixing that. Let’s all bake some Small-batch Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies!
Biting into one of these cookies is like biting into the perfect chocolate chip cookie all dressed up for fall. They use just enough pumpkin to give them pumpkin flavor with a soft, slightly chewy texture.
And since these are pumpkin cookies and it’s pretty much law that pumpkin desserts must use pumpkin spice, they are packed full of fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to go along with the more-than-generous share of chocolate chips mixed in.
Like my Instant Gratification Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies , these Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies use melted butter, and the super short chilling time is optional, so you can make them whenever the whim strikes you and be eating them in about 20 minutes.
Plus, since this is a small-batch recipe (it makes 5 nicely sized cookies), you have just enough to share without having to worry about loads of leftovers.
Not a bad way to say hello to fall, if you ask me.
More Fall Desserts
- Pumpkin Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Dutch Apple Pie Galette
- Apple Crumb Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60g ) all-purpose flour
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon *
- ▢ Pinch of ground ginger
- ▢ Pinch of ground cloves
- ▢ Pinch of nutmeg
- ▢ Pinch of allspice
- ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 25g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoon ( 25g ) brown sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg yolk
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 15g ) canned pumpkin puree
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 1.5oz ) semi-sweet chocolate chips plus more for topping if desired
Instructions
- In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave butter for 20 to 30 seconds until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.
- In a medium bowl, combine cooled butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Whisk until smooth. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and pumpkin puree, and whisk until well-mixed. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Place batter in the freezer while your oven preheats.*
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Once your oven is preheated and batter slightly chilled, drop 5 rounded spoonfuls onto your prepared baking sheet. For prettier cookies, roll dough into balls and gently flatten dough balls to 1/2 inch on the baking sheet with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 9 to 12 minutes until cookies look set and the bottoms are lightly browned. Press a couple extra chocolate chips into the top of each cookie if you want them to look extra cute. Cool on the cookie sheet and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Chelsea’s Messy Apron
Small-batch Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- 7x5-inch baking dish
Shortbread Base
- 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup ( 30g ) powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon ( 17g ) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (60g ) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Apple Layer
- 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled and diced 1/4 inch
- 2 teaspoons ( 8g ) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ( 5g ) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice optional
Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1/4 cup ( 30g ) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons ( 38g ) brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ( 1oz ) unsalted butter softened
Instructions
Shortbread Base
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper (parchment paper is optional, but it’s nice to be able to lift the bars out of the dish to cut them).
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, and granulated sugar, and beat until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add flour and salt, and beat until well mixed.
- Turn mixture out into your prepared baking dish and press into an even layer. Bake for 18 to 21 minutes, until lightly browned.
Apple Layer
- While your shortbread bakes, combine diced apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Stir together and set aside.
Brown Sugar Streusel
- In a small bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and butter, and use a fork or your fingers to mix until the mixture begins to clump and crumbs form. Place streusel in the refrigerator until the timer goes off.
- Once the shortbread is lightly golden, remove from the oven and spread the apples over the top. Remove streusel from the fridge and drop in crumbles over the apples. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until streusel is lightly browned and apple filling is bubbling slightly.
- Cool completely before cutting and enjoy!
