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
I know you say no substitutions for butter, but I can’t have dairy right now. Is there a reason that shortening wouldn’t work?
I’ve never tried it…I would probably try a high-quality margarine like Smart Balance.
Hope that helps!
Just made these. Wow. Amazing. Delicious.
Thank you for ALWAYS posting the best recipes. I have never made a recipe from this site that I did not love!
I made these but used gluten free flour. They were delicious and my friends who require gf food were thrilled! Thank you for sharing!
This is the best apple dessert ever! It’s my husbands favorite and my whole family loves it. I do only use half the glaze – gotta cut calories where I can. Ha. Divine!
Was flipping through your cookbook this weekend since I felt like baking, and couldn’t look at anything else once I looked at this recipe, and just had to make them again… perfect choice, they’re amazing every time! Thanks for the recipe!
I made these and they were amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe! I made a few changes — I used a combo of apples and pears, diced and sauteed in butter, 1/3 c brown sugar and 2 tbl maple syrup and cinnamon. I added the flour and let it cook off for about 5 minutes. After cooling, I prepared the recipe as printed (but I did add a little more cinnamon to the top streusel). I brought them to work and they were devoured!
These are my go-to recipe for basically everything now and everybody goes crazy for them.
AMAZING! Truly! Made these for my husband to take to work and his coworker said: “No wonder you married your wife- these rocked my world!” Thank you for sharing!
Served these up for company the other night and everyone raved about them! So easy too!!
So yummy!! Made these tonight.. although my hubby doesn’t like anything with cooked apples..I sure did love them!!! As well as our dinner guests!!