Apple Pie Bars Recipe — a faster, slab-style apple pie for potlucks and weeknights

These Apple Pie Bars compress the elements of a traditional apple pie—crust, apple filling, and crumb topping—into a slab you press into a 9x9 pan. That removes the fiddly step of rolling a top crust and shortens hands-on time, which makes it practical for weeknights, potlucks, or holiday side dessert tables.

• Yield: 9 servings.
• Prep: about 15 minutes.
• Bake: 35 minutes at 350°F.
• Equipment: 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper (with overhang makes removal easy), mixing bowls, pastry blender or fork for streusel.

The recipe lists the components without exact amounts in the summary: softened butter, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, salt, apple pie filling, and for the streusel topping: brown sugar, flour, and cubed butter. The author directs readers to the recipe card on the original page for exact measurements.

1) Prep the pan and oven: preheat to 350°F and line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang. 2) Make the crust: beat butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla until combined, then mix in flour and salt. Press this dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. 3) Add the filling: spread apple pie filling over the crust in an even layer. The recipe refers to a standard pie filling (canned or homemade) rather than fresh-sliced apples prepared in the pan. 4) Streusel topping: whisk brown sugar and flour, then cut in cubed butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Sprinkle it over the apple layer. 5) Bake and finish: bake for about 35 minutes until the filling bubbles and the streusel is golden. Cool completely in the pan, then lift out using the parchment overhang and cut into bars.

These bars work for dessert at Thanksgiving, potlucks, school snacks, or casual gatherings where you want apple-pie flavor without assembling a full pie. Because they're baked in a single pan and cut into portions, they're easier to transport and portion than a conventional pie.

• Lining the pan with parchment that overhangs makes removal and cutting much safer and cleaner.
• Bake until filling bubbles and topping is golden to ensure the center is cooked through.
• If you prefer a fresher-apple texture, prepare a stove-top apple filling first, but note that the recipe as presented uses a ready-style pie filling spread over the crust.

• Use different pie fillings (peach, cherry) with the same method.
• Add cinnamon or nutmeg to the crust or streusel for more spice.