If you love apple pie but don’t always love the hassle of rolling out crust, these Apple Streusel Bars are about to become your new favorite dessert. They’ve got a buttery shortbread base, a sweet, spiced apple filling, and a golden, crumbly streusel on top. Perfectly cozy, super easy to slice and serve, and absolutely irresistible with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients & Equipment Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- For the Sweet Pastry:
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- butter – softened (no substitutions!)
- egg
- For the Apple Filling:
- white sugar
- flour
- cinnamon
- Baking apples – Granny Smith’s work well here
- For the Glaze:
- powdered sugar
- milk – whole milk is best
- almond extract
- Apple Peeler & Corer (recommended)
How to Make Apple Streusel Bars
- Make a crumb mixture for the crust and topping, and press two-thirds into a greased 9×13 pan.
- Toss sliced apples with cinnamon, sugar, and flour, and layer over the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top and bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.
- Once cooled, drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze, let it set, then slice into bars and serve.
Storage & Other Tips
- Room Temperature: These store well in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 days.
- Refrigerator: For longer freshness, refrigerate for up to 5 days. The bars may firm up in the fridge, which actually makes them easier to slice.
- Freezer: These bars freeze beautifully. Wrap individual bars or the whole pan tightly in plastic wrap and foil, or store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 2–3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm slightly before serving.
- Glaze Tip for Freezing: If you plan to freeze them, it’s best to add the glaze after thawing for the freshest appearance and texture.
- Cutting Clean Bars: Chill the bars before cutting to help them hold their shape, and use a sharp knife wiped clean between cuts.
- Add-Ins: Feel free to stir chopped nuts (like pecans or walnuts) or oats into the streusel for extra crunch.
- Glaze Options: Swap almond extract for vanilla extract in the glaze if you prefer, or leave it out altogether for a more subtle flavor.
- Serving Suggestion: These are amazing slightly warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While Granny Smith apples are a reliable choice because they hold their shape and balance sweetness with brightness, feel free to experiment. Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, or a mix of tart and sweet varieties would also work well.
Make sure the butter is softened (not melted) before cutting it into the dry ingredients, and blend just until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs. Gently press the bottom two-thirds of the dough into the pan using your hands or a measuring cup to create a firm, even layer.
Not necessary—this recipe bakes everything together. Just press down the crust and bake for the full 40 minutes with apples and streusel on top.
Cool the bars completely before slicing, and even chill them briefly to help the streusel and glaze set. Use a sharp knife and wipe it between cuts for the cleanest edges .
Apple Streusel Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
Sweet Pastry
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter softened (no substitutions!)
- 1 egg beaten
Apple Filling
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 cups about 3 medium or 2 large sliced, peeled baking apples like Granny Smith
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk whole milk is best
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.
- Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about ⅔ of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350℉ and set aside.
- To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon and toss with apples.
- Spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- When finished, allow to cool completely.
- To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.
- Place glaze in a Ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners (or just use a fork) to drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve.
Questions & Reviews
Ok these are FABULOUS! Easy to make hard to resist! Love them.
Tina and Jason–Yeah, just regular, all-purspose flour. You COULD use self-rising flour and leave out the salt and baking powder, but I would just get the all-purpose flour. Hope that helps! 🙂
When you say "flour" you mean all-purpose, right? If I use self rising, do I omit the baking powder and salt? Why must I always overthink things? lol
I made these last night for my sisters and I–OMG they were amazing! I made them gluten free/dairy free using Domata Living Flour all-purpose flour blend in place of the regular flour, Earth Balance non-dairy butter substitute, and coconut milk. They were very good and I will DEFINITELY be making them again!
So far everything I have tried from your blog has been great!! I really liked this recipe, was delicious!! I made it in a slightly smaller dish so the bars were thicker and added some extra cinnamon. Yum!
This past weekend, I went to an apple orchard and thought this recipe would be great to make. These turned out delicious!
P.S I love your blog!
I have a bunch of company coming in May. Would these turn out if I made them early and froze them? Would I just cook them part-way before freezing? thanks – I LOVE your site!
Just made these tonight for a family dinner and everyone loved them! My dad requested them for Father's Day. I know I never have to worry about a new recipe failing if I get it from here, you guys are the best!
Emily just made these for a baby shower the other day and they were amazing. I don't usually like apple deserts but this was awesome, the almond glaze made the desert for me. I convinced Emily that she would not want to just bring the pan to the shower as it would be much better to cut them and plate them. About half made it to the plate, and I made it to my bed with a stomach ache, but it was worth it…
LOVED these – they were the perfect fall treat. THANKS!