Name: Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars - Fall Apple Dessert Squares
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ cups of old-fashioned oats; 1½ cups of all-purpose flour; ¾ cup light brown sugar; ½ teaspoons of sea salt; ¾ teaspoon of baking soda; ¾ cup of unsalted butter, cubed; 30 Kraft caramel squares; 1 tablespoon of milk; 3 cups of Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped; ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg; ½ cup of chopped pecans; Store bought caramel topping

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If you like the taste of caramel apples in the fall, you will love these caramel apple bars. They taste just like the traditional fall favorite but without all the fuss.

This apple oatmeal bar recipe is sweet and hearty, so easy to prepare, and is perfect for National Oatmeal Day, which falls on October 29.

The recipe features a buttery crumb crust, topped with cinnamon and nutmeg apples, pecans, melted caramel, and a crumble topping. A drizzle of caramel finishes the dessert with a sweet touch.

Keep reading to learn how to make this amazing caramel apple bar recipe.

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Ingredients for the caramel apple oatmeal bars

To make this apple caramel bar recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:

1½ cups of old-fashioned oats
1½ cups of all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoons of sea salt
¾ teaspoon of baking soda
¾ cup of unsalted butter, cubed
30 Kraft caramel squares
1 tablespoon of milk
3 cups of Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
½ cup of chopped pecans
Store-bought caramel topping

You’ll also need a food processor and a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.

Making this caramel apple bar recipe

Who doesn’t like to bite into a farm-fresh apple coated in a caramel outer coating? However, caramel apples can be a time-consuming dessert to make.

Today, we’ll be getting the flavors of caramel apples, but in a much simpler dessert to put together.

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper.

We’ll be making a crumb crust that also doubles as the crumble topping.

To do this, add the oats, flour, brown sugar, sea salt, baking soda, and butter in a food processor. Pulse for 15- 20 seconds until you get a crumb-like texture.

Press half of this mixture on the bottom of a prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.

Making the spiced apple layer

Peel and chop the Granny Smith apples, and add them to a bowl with the ground cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.

Remove the pan with the crust from the oven. Layer the seasoned apples on the crust. Top with the chopped pecans.

Melting the caramels

Unwrap the caramels. Place them with the milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals until the caramels have melted and are smooth.

Drizzle this mixture over the top of the spiced apples and pecans. The final step is to crumble the rest of the oatmeal and flour mixture over the top of the apple mixture.

Bake for an additional 20-22 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.

Fluff up the topping with a fork about halfway through the baking time to release some of the caramel through the topping.

Drizzle the store-bought caramel over the top of the cooked apple and oatmeal mixture for some extra richness and sweetness.

Let the dessert cool completely. When cooled, cut into 24 bars.

Tasting the apple oatmeal bars

The crumble and crust on these caramel apple bars are sweet, buttery, and crispy. The cinnamon-spiced apple filling, oozing with its delicious caramel topping, delivers just the right amount of sweetness.

They have the delightful taste of fresh apples and pecans with a caramel topping. With flavors like this, these bars are hard to resist!

More oatmeal apple recipes to try

If you enjoyed these oatmeal caramel apples, you’ll love these recipes too:

Share this recipe for oatmeal caramel apple bars on X

If you enjoyed making these oat bars with caramel, why not share the recipe with a friend? Here is a post to get you started:

🍏🍂 Craving all the fall flavors? Try these caramel apple bars — sweet, buttery oat crust + spiced apples + a caramel drizzle. 🧇😍 #CaramelApple #FallBaking #AppleDessert #OatmealBars #FallFlavors #AppleRecipes Share on X

Pin this recipe for caramel apple bars

Would you like a reminder of this recipe for apple bars with caramel? Pin this image to one of your dessert boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Admin note: This recipe for oatmeal squares with apples first appeared on the blog in October 2017. This post has been updated with new photos and a recipe card with nutrition.

Yield: 24 easy caramel apple bars

Caramel Apple Oatmeal Bars - Fall Apple Dessert Squares

These caramel apple oatmeal bars are just full of the flavors of fall. They are easy to make and so tasty.

The recipe features a crumb crust, seasoned caramel apple layer, and crumble topping.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

1½ cups of old-fashioned oats
1½ cups of all-purpose flour
¾ cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoons of sea salt
¾ teaspoon of baking soda
¾ cup of unsalted butter, cubed
30 Kraft caramel squares
1 tablespoon of milk
3 cups of Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
½ cup of chopped pecans
Store bought caramel topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 º F (180 º C).
Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment and set aside.
Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, sea salt, baking soda, and butter in a food processor
Pulse until crumbly.
Press just over half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes until lightly browned.
Combine the diced apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl.
Remove the pan from the oven and place the seasoned apples and chopped nuts on the cooked base.
Unwrap the caramels.
Place them with the milk in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals until the caramel is smooth and melted.
Drizzle the caramel mixture over the top of the apple layer.
Crumble the remaining oat and flour mixture over the top of the apples and caramel.
Bake for an additional 20-22 minutes or until the top is lightly browned.
Remove the pan from the oven.
Drizzle the store-bought caramel topping over the top of the bars for extra richness.
Let cool completely before cutting into 24 bars.

Caramel Apple Bars – Sweet Apple Oatmeal Bar with Caramel Topping

Ingredients for the caramel apple oatmeal bars