I had realized, on the last day of September, that I had yet to bake a Fall dessert. October was due to arrive in one day’s time, and I hadn’t made anything with apples or pumpkin yet. What had I been doing all that time? I truly wish I knew. As I pondered my activities for the last 30 days and came no closer to an answer for myself, I whipped out some Honeycrisps and got to slicing.
I didn’t really mean for these Cookie Butter Apple Pie Bars to happen. It all started out with Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars; which came to mind as I was somewhat violently slicing apples, lost in my own thoughts about the quick passage of September and my lack of September-themed baked goods. Anyways, I love these bars from Sally. I made them last Fall and that is what I wanted to make again. Delicious.
So later that night, my husband and I are eating the bars. And If you think we didn’t heat them up and top them with ice cream, you’re absolutely wrong. We didn’t have any vanilla ice cream, the usual pairing, but we had something way better than that: a few scoops left of some Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Ice Cream. If you haven’t tried it, make like a basic bitch head to your nearest Trader Joe’s. The Cookie Butter Ice Cream on the Apple Pie Bars sent me into a tizzy. I was seeing stars. The only coherent thought that I had during that night’s dessert experience was one of alarm: we were now out of Cookie Butter Ice Cream and I still had an entire pan of Apple Pie Bars to eat.
Enter: the jar of cookie butter sitting in my cabinet. I decided immediately that I needed to revamp these bars, which I already loved so much on their own. I hadn’t yet drizzled salted caramel on the bars, which ended up being a saving grace; these bars were getting a very, very generous Cookie Butter drizzle instead. I warmed up the Cookie Butter until it was smooth and melty, I did the drizzle, and then my eyes rolled back in my head as I took a bite.
Sally, I love your Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bar recipe, but I believe I can no longer eat any sort of apple pie without Cookie Butter (in any form, really). It’s almost not even fair that we can drizzle this stuff on anything we dream up. Once you try it too, you’ll see just what I mean.
Apple Pie Cookie Butter Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 large apples peeled and thinly sliced (I used Honeycrisp Apples)
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter cold and cut into cubes
Other
- 1/2 cup Trader Joes Cookie Butter
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 300°F and line an 8" x 8" square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
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To make the shortbread crust, stir together the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until well combined. Press the shortbread dough into the bottom of the square pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
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While the shortbread is baking, making the apple pie filling by combining the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Make sure the apples are evenly coated in the mixture.
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To make the streusel, mix together the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter, a little at a time, mixing well. The mixture should look like big crumbs.
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Once the crust has baked, turn the oven up to 350°F. Pour the apple pie filling over the crust and spread evenly. Then, sprinkle the cinnamon streusel on top. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 30-35 more minutes. The streusel will look golden brown.
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Wait about 20 minutes before cutting these bars. Once cut, melt the Cookie Butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Transfer the melted Cookie Butter to a small plastic baggy and snip one corner off. Drizzle the Cookie Butter over each bar. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Recipe Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars