Simple Apple Bars

4.84 from 18 votes

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These Apple Bars make for a fast and delicious apple dessert. Scott shows you how to make these dessert bars using apples from your own tree, or market if you’re not that lucky.

2 kids watching adult cutting apple bars
Apple bars are a fast and easy dessert bar recipe.

Apple Bars

We’ve been cooking and baking up a storm in our family, over the past few months.  We have featured a few recipes using honey crisp apples from our backyard tree, and quite honestly we could make something new every day of the week with those apples and still not run out.

Cut glazed apple bars stacked on serving plate with fall leaf
Apple Bars Dessert Bar Recipe from Platter Talk

That tree is loaded!  With this post, Scott puts together a quick and easy treat that we served to some guest at our cottage last weekend.  They are seasonal and delicious; they are Simple Apple Bars.

Close shot of cut apples tossed with spiced sugar
Simple pantry spices go into these apple dessert bars.

If you have been following Platter Talk at all, you probably know we are a pretty busy family – two working parents, six boys, and an English bulldog.  To help ensure that we have almost no idle time at all, we like to spend weekends at our small lake cottage, about an hour from our home in town.

Someone sprinkling ingredients in aluminum pan with cut and whole apples backgroundAluminum pan holding prepped apples being covered by dough on rolling pin

I can’t say that we never go out to eat, that would be a blatant untruth.  I can say however that we try to eat most of our meals at home, as a family.    To that end, we cook.  A lot.

Close up of baked apple dessert bars being drizzled with sugar glaze in cup
These apple bars are topped with a simple powder sugar-based glaze.

Although we try to focus on fresh and healthy, like many busy families we have learned to appreciate our good friend, Convenience.   Similarly, I have noticed in the online food world that many people are looking for quick and easy.

 Glazed apple bar dessert being served whole red apples in foreground
Apple Bars are the perfect way to use fresh apples from the tree.

And then, for us, there is the “cottage factor.”  I try my best, to articulate it to others by describing our cottage as a state of mind.  We don’t go there to work, but rather let our shoulders collectively fall.

There are movies, there is fishing, there are nature walks, there are games outdoors and indoors, there are bonfires at night.

Close up serving of apple bar on plate
Use corn flakes or a similar cereal for these apple bars.

Naturally, there is a lot of cooking there as well; sometimes it is more involved than others.  On this day, Scott wanted to use some of our apples from home, but he did not want to make it an all-day affair.

Thus, he came up with this recipe for Simple Apple Bars.   We served these as a dessert with some vanilla ice cream, last Saturday evening when we had a couple of guests over for a dinner of chicken cacciatore.

Cross cut close up apple bar servings on plate

Give these apple bars a try, while the apples are fresh.  They are delicious, and they are simple.

Angled servings of glazed apple dessert bar on plate, Autumn leaves in background

Like Apple Recipes? Take a look at some of our other apple recipes!

This is our Slow Cooker Apple Butter; you won’t believe how easy and how wonderful this is to make and enjoy!

Custard dish of apple butter with roll on plate, rolls in background
Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe from Platter Talk

More apple desserts

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Simple Apple Bars

4.84 from 18 votes
A fast and easy apple dessert bar recipe from Platter Talk
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients 

For the Bars

  • 5 medium Apples, We used Honey Crisp
  • Package of Refrigerator Pie Crust Sheets, I used Pillsbury Refrigerator Pie Crust
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 cup crushed Corn Flakes
  • 1 Egg

For the Glaze

  • 1 cup Powder Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons Milk

Instructions 

For the Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Peel apples and slice in uniform slices approximately 1/4 inch thick. Using a medium size mixing bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, cloves nutmeg.
  • Unroll the pie crust and place on a 9″x13″ baking pan or cookie sheet. Using a knife cut the pie crust to fit the pan.
  • Use the cut pieces of pie crust to fill in any empty voids on the cookie/baking sheet.
  • You can “glue” the pieces together by using a wet finger to lightly wet the crust first and then adding the cut pieces to cover the bottom of your cookie/baking sheet.
  • Spread the crushed corn flakes over the top of the pie crust and arrange the apples on top of the crushed corn flakes. Next, sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top of the apples.
  • Reserve approximately 3 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. This will be used to sprinkle on the top crust prior to baking.
  • Unroll the 2nd pie crust sheet and repeat the steps above to cover the apple bars. 
  • Whisk the egg and brush over the top of the crust. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the top of crust. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown.

For the Glaze

  • Mix powder sugar, vanilla and milk together. Be careful not to add too much milk. You want the mixture to be smooth and thick enough to drizzle over the top of the bars. You do not want this mixture to be too runny.
  • The glaze can be drizzled over the bars after they have been removed from the oven and cooled for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Allow the glaze to set before servicing. Bars can be served slightly warm or completely cooled.

Nutrition

Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 0g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 151mg, Potassium: 122mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 32g, Vitamin A: 415IU, Vitamin C: 7.6mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 5.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @plattertalk or tag #plattertalk!
Side shot close up of glazed apple bars dessert
Pin this apple bars recipe for later.
Updated from original post of November 5, 2013

Meet the Platter Talk Guys

Dan & Scott split their time between Wisconsin and Southwest Florida and are dads to six boys. Good food runs through their veins, and they love showing others how to cook easy recipes.

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55 Comments

    1. Hi. Thanks for the question. We don’t grease the pan with this recipe but instead line it with parchment paper. When the bars are done, you can just lift them out (with the parchment paper.). You’ll want to leave a bit of the paper hanging over the sides of the pan so you can use that as “handles.”