Lately, I’m not sure what’s happened to me. I’m not usually one to indulge in sweets. I prefer salty, savory treats to decadent, sugary ones. But somehow I’ve found my sweet tooth and I can’t get enough of the good stuff! I think I can blame it on the season. There are just too many good treats that come with the Fall. Homemade pies, donuts, cakes, cookies – how can you not want a taste of everything Fall has to offer?
We have a Betty Crocker calendar hanging on our fridge and every month there’s a new recipe. Every month, my husband seems to comment on how good the recipe looks. Before I get to make it, the calendar is being flipped to a new month and a new recipe. I made it a point to make this month’s recipe for Caramel Apple Bars. Fall just isn’t Fall without caramel apples and these bars are a little easier on your teeth!
While the closest I’ll probably get to apple picking this year is at the grocery store, I still plan on doing a lot of baking and cooking with apples. One of our favorite apples to snack on are Granny Smith so we always seem to have some on hand. We love their tart bite and big crunch! They are also really great for baking. I would never make an apple pie with anything else! So when we turned the calendar to this Caramel Apple Bar recipe, I knew I would have to spare a few of our Granny Smiths for it.
The Granny Smith apples add a delicious sweet-tartness to these bars. But I must admit that my favorite part is probably the ooey-gooey caramel in every bite! The secret is using caramel candies. They get melted down over a low heat and then poured all over the apples. Trust me, it’s so worth the tedious task of unwrapping a whole bag of individual caramels!
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 14 oz . bag caramels
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Heat oven to 400ºF.
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In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, butter, and shortening.
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Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, oats, salt, and baking soda.
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Press oat mixture in an ungreased rectangular pan, reserving 2 cups of oat mixture.
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Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour together, then spread evenly over mixture in pan.
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Heat caramels over low, stirring to avoid burning, until caramels are melted.
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Pour caramel evenly over apples.
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Sprinkle bars with reserved oat mixture, pressing down lightly.
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Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
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Store bars covered in refrigerator.
I’D LOVE TO KNOW: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CARAMEL APPLE TREAT?
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