Delicious Apple Crumble Pie Bars. These are absolutely out of this world! Chunks of apple pie filling on a lovely shortbread base and topped off with a delicious crumble. Really easy recipe too! Serve chilled with freshly whipped cream on the top!

The base is made up of a very simple shortbread cookie recipe I have used since I was at school, the filling is juicy chunks of granny smith apples mixed with a sprinkle of cinnamon and cream cheese, and the topping is actually my grandmother's apple crumble topping recipe.
Well, with these three layers combined, when you bite into one of these Apple Crumble Pie Bars, it is just delicious!
The cream cheese adds a lovely extra dimension to the bars, with a little creaminess and also helps to hold the filling together, and the crispy cookie base together with the crumbly topping is just perfect.
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Now, as a variation, you could also add a small handful of raisins or cranberries, blueberries etc. I think so long as the fruits you use are not too watery, it will still stay firm for slicing.
The trick is to really allow the Apple Crumble Pie Bars to chill. That way, the filling will firm up nicely and hold shape when you come to slice and remove from the pan.
I've also tried to freeze a couple of slices to test, and yes, they freeze nicely. All you need to do is bring them to room temperature and they're ready to eat. This would, of course, come in handy if you needed to make ahead, say for a Christmas or Thanksgiving menu, or if there is 1 or 2 of you at home, then, by all means, freeze in portions and eat when you like!
So please enjoy our Delicious Apple Crumble Bars and please make sure you check out our other delicious bar recipes. Great for snacks, parties and most are freezer friendly too!

Prep time
40 Minutes (includes baking)
Cook Time
40 Minutes
Serves
12 Slices

Ingredients you'll need
- Butter, unsalted at room temperature
- Sugar - regular granulated sugar
- Flour - all purpose / plain flour
- Salt
- Apples, peeled. I use Granny Smiths
- Lemon Juice
- Sugar
- Cream cheese, room temperature
- Ground Cinnamon
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C and grease an 8 × 8-inch pan all over, including the sides.
Make the base and topping:
2. Add the flour, salt, butter and sugar in a mixer and pulse until ROUGH LARGE crumbs.
Remove HALF of the mixture and set that aside, then pulse the remaining half until FINE crumbs.
NB: You want to have large crumbs for the topping so it will have a nice crumbly texture.

3. Add the FINE crumb mixture to the pan and press down, make it firm

and then place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Make the filling
4. Peel and cube the apples into chunks and squeeze the lemon juice over and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar and the ground cinnamon. Coat the chunks well.

5. In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese and using a fork, give it a little whisk to loosen it, then add it to the apple chunks and coat. Set aside.
6. When the base is ready from the oven, remove and spread the apple mixture all over,

and then roughly spread the remaining crumb topping over the apples. Try and leave the topping so it is a bit uneven and bumpy so you get nice crispy bits!

Return to the oven and bake for 40 minutes.

7. Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to completely cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better. This will make slicing very easy and the filling will firm up nicely.

Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream or simply on its own with a nice cup of coffee.
Note: These bars will freeze very well after baking. Just ensure you wrap with plastic wrap and freeze only when completely cooled. Simply allow to defrost in the fridge when you wish to serve them.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our Delicious Apple Crumble Bars recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

Recipe Card

Delicious Apple Crumble Pie Bars
Delicious Apple Crumble Pie Bars. These are absolutely out of this world! Chunks of apple pie filling on a lovely shortbread base and topped off with a delicious crumble. Really easy recipe too!
Ingredients
- 11 ½ oz /325 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup / 200 g sugar
- 3 ½ cups / 430 g all-purpose / plain flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 apples, peeled. I use Granny Smiths
- ½ Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 8 oz or 225 g Cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C and grease a 8 × 8-inch pan all over, including the sides.
The base and topping:
- Add the flour, salt, butter and sugar in a mixer and pulse until ROUGH LARGE crumbs. Remove HALF of the mixture and set that aside, then pulse the remaining half until FINE crumbs.
- Add the FINE crumb mixture to the pan and press down, make it firm and then place in the oven for 30 minutes.
The Filling:
- Peel and cube the apples into chunks and squeeze the lemon juice over and sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar. and the ground cinnamon. Coat the chunks well.
- In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese and using a fork, give it a little whisk to loosen it, then add it to the apple chunks and coat. Set aside.
- When the base is ready from the oven, remove and spread the apple mixture all over, and then roughly spread the remaining crumb topping over the apples. Try and leave the topping so it is a bit uneven and bumpy so you get nice crispy bits!
- Return to the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Once ready, remove from the oven and allow to completely cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours. Overnight is even better. This will make slicing very easy and the filling will firm up nicely.
- Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream, ice cream or simply on it's own with a nice cup of coffee.
Notes
The prep time also includes prebake time
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 492Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 152mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate
Delicious Recipes Using Apples
Here's a lovely selection of recipes using apples.
Apple Frangipane. This is a really nice coffee time cake to make. Goes great with a nice cup of tea! Or you can have as a dessert, warm or cold with a squirt of whipped cream or like me, a blob of vanilla ice cream! It's really yummy! Delicious!
Easy Apple Spiced Turnovers. Delicious warm from the oven! Crispy puff pastry packed with apples coated in cinnamon. Great eaten warm or chilled with a blob of ice cream!
Apple and Pumpkin Muffins! These breakfast muffins are full of the flavors of Fall with pumpkin, apple and cinnamon with a delicious streusel topping. A really easy recipe and that topping is so good!
Easy Apple Angel Dump Cake, so delicious with a blob or two of ice cream! Easy recipe and quick to make. Oven or slow cooker, you choose!
Apple Fritters. Yum! Slices of apple in a crispy light batter then coated in cinnamon sugar. Served warm with a drizzle of syrup, honey or a blob of ice cream.. makes for a perfect dessert! Quick and easy recipe too!
Apple and Cranberry Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars. An incredibly easy recipe with fantastic flavors!
Dutch Apple Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, this is a delicious dessert, wonderful served warm. Lovely chunks of apple, laced with cinnamon and then served with a drizzle of warm butterscotch sauce.
Dutch Apple Pie! Loaded with apples, raisins, cinnamon and the most delicious pastry I've ever eaten! Be sure to have a lovely cup of coffee to go with a slice of pie in true Dutch tradition!
Mini Caramel Apple Pastries. Delightful mini pastries filled with caramel and apples and oh so easy to make!
Mom's Homemade Apple Pie. A wonderful old family recipe, simple ingredients, easy to make and delicious every time! Perfect for a regular family dessert, or to take to pot lucks, Thanksgiving, or anytime!
Amazing Toffee Apple Cake, a delicious cake recipe made from scratch bursting with the flavors of Fall. Perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas too!
Nanny Pat's Special Apple Pie
This apple pie is an old family recipe and always very popular, especially for those who prefer a crustless pie!
German Style Fluffy Apple Pancakes. Delicious, quick and easy recipe and these are certainly fluffy! Serve warm with a sprinkling of sugar and a dash of cinnamon.
Fluffy Apple Swirl Pudding - A wonderful bread and butter dessert, best served warm with a drizzle of Maple Syrup or a blob of ice cream..or both!
Mom's apple dumplings recipe, old fashioned recipe using apples in a sweet pie crust then baked in delicious cinnamon syrup. A great comforting dessert
Patsy
says:Hi there! I´d like to know if there´s anything I could replace the cream cheese with. What about creme? Thanks
Lovefoodies
says:Hi Patsy and Happy Sunday! I would suggest using creme fraiche or sour cream (you may need to add a little extra sugar if it is too tangy). I wouldn’t add fresh cream because I worry the baking will really water it or cause it to separate. The cream cheese in this recipe is mainly used as a binding agent so once the crumble cools, it firms up and can be sliced very easily without the filling going all over the place. Hope that helps!