Chewy Caramel Apple Bars
Delicious caramel apple bars made fresh apples in a buttery caramel sauce served up over a chewy bar using cake mix is a simple dessert everyone will love.
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 133kcal
Ingredients
Base
- 1 box yellow cake mix 15.25 ounces
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup caramel chips Make sure to use caramel chips not “bits.”
Apples
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 8 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 apples cored, cut into ¼ inch slices
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup caramel chips Make sure to use caramel chips not “bits.”
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
For Bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 13x9 pan with nonstick baking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine cake mix, brown sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and evenly combined, about 1 minute.
- Spread dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle with caramel chips. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack until room temperature. Cut into 24 bars.
For Apples
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cinnamon, then apples. Allow apples to cook in the sauce until tender and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
For Caramel Sauce
- Add caramel chips to small microwave safe bowl, then add milk.
- Microwave at 10 second intervals and stir each time, until smooth and combined. (If sauce is too thin, add more chips; if too thick, add more milk and stir.)
Assembly
- Drizzle caramel sauce over bars, then spoon apples over each bar and serve.
Video
Notes
- Choose the Right Apples: You want to use apples that are best for cooking, such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Braeburn.
- Cooling Time: While the prep is quick you will need to give the apples and bars a bit of time to cool before serving. The bars will be much easier to cut when cool.
- Cutting the Bars: Cut the bars before adding the apple and caramel mixture at the end for a lovelier presentation.
- No microwave? You can melt the chips in a metal bowl set over the top of a saucepan on the stove with a bit of water the bottom or a double boiler.
- Prep Your Pan. This is essential for easy cleanup! You can even take things a step further and line the pan with parchment to make cleanup even quicker.
Nutrition
Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 36mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 242IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.1mg