Prize Caramel Apple Bars Recipes

GOURMET CARAMEL APPLES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Dip apples into boiling water briefly, using a slotted spoon, to remove any wax that may be present. Wipe dry, and set aside to cool. Insert sticks into the apples through the cores.
• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and coat with cooking spray. Place the unwrapped caramels into a microwave-safe medium bowl along with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook on high for 2 minutes, then stir and continue cooking and stirring at 1 minute intervals until caramel is melted and smooth.
• Hold apples by the stick, and dip into the caramel to coat. Set on waxed paper; refrigerate for about 15 minutes to set.
• Heat the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of shortening in a microwave-safe bowl until melted and smooth. Dip apples into the chocolate to cover the layer of caramel. Return to the waxed paper to set.
• Melt the candy melts in the microwave with the remaining shortening, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Use a fork or wooden stick to flick colored designs onto your apples for a finishing touch. Refrigerate until set, overnight is even better.

PRIZE CARAMEL APPLE BARS

Steps:

• Line an 8x8x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil up over edges of pan. Butter the foil. In a large saucepan combine 3/4 cup of the peanut butter, 1/2 cup of the ice cream topping, and the brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat just until mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat. Add cereal and apples; stir gently to coat. Transfer to prepared pan; press firmly into pan.
• In a small bowl stir together remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup ice cream topping. Spread evenly over bars and sprinkle with peanuts, pressing lightly. Let bars stand 1 hour to set. Use foil to lift from pan. Cut into bars. Makes 16 bars.

CONTEST-WINNING CARAMEL APPLE CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Press half the mixture into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer half of each of the following: apples, caramels and remaining oat mixture. Repeat layers. Drizzle 1/2 cup cider over top., Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Drizzle with remaining cider; bake until apples are tender, 15-20 minutes longer.

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLES

Steps:

• In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels and water. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds; stir. Microwave 20-40 seconds longer or until the caramels are melted; stir until smooth. , Insert wooden sticks into apples; dip apples into the caramel mixture, turning to coat. Coat with nuts; set on waxed paper to cool. , Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Drizzle over apples. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Place on waxed paper to cool. Cut into wedges to serve.

BEST APPLE BARS

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Add beaten egg and mix well. Add vanilla.
• In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture. Add grated apples.
• Pour mixture into a greased 9 x 9 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
• For frosting: Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil. Boil only 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat and add sifted powdered sugar while stirring. Cool slightly and spread on bars. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top.
• Cool completely and cut into bars. Store in air-tight container to retain moisture.
• Note: If you prefer sweeter, add 1/4 cup sugar to batter of bars, but remember the apple juice from the grated apples will provide some sweetness. We enjoy it as is because the carmel frosting is sweet. Also, we have had them with no frosting and just a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top. Enjoy!

GLAZED APPLE PIE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks, lemon juice and water; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide in half. Chill for 30 minutes. , Roll out one portion of dough between two large sheets of waxed paper into a 17x12-in. rectangle. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Press pastry onto bottom and up sides of pan; trim even with top edge. , In a large bowl, toss the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; spread into crust. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pan; place over filling. Brush edges with water or milk; pinch to seal. Cut slits in top. , Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth; drizzle over bars.

EASY CARAMEL APPLE PIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup white sugar, egg, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse until crumbled and easily formed into dough when pinched. Pour 3/4 of the dough into the prepared pan; press down with your hands until crust is even and well packed.
• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add apples, brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; cook and stir until apples are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch; mix, adding more cornstarch if needed, until liquids are thickened.
• Pour apple mixture onto crust; smooth with a spatula until even. Crumble remaining dough on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until crumbles on top are lightly brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes; cut into bars.

CARAMEL APPLE BARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add flour, oats, salt and baking soda; mix well. If desired, stir in pecans. Set aside 2 cups. Press remaining oat mixture into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking pan. , For filling, toss apples with flour; spoon over the crust. In a saucepan, melt the caramels and butter over low heat; drizzle over apples. Top with the reserved oat mixture. , Bake at 400° until lightly browned, 25-30 minutes. Cool before cutting into bars.

CARAMEL APPLE BARS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 15x10 inch jellyroll pan.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, quick cooking oats, brown sugar, and baking soda. Stir in the melted butter. Mix until crumbly. This is the crust. Press 1/2 of this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.
• In a small pan, over medium heat combine the caramel topping and the remaining 1/2 cup of flour. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. This is the caramel filling.
• Spread apple slices evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle on the nuts. Then Pour the caramel filling over the apple layer. Crumble the remaining crust mixture over the top of everything. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting into bars.

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE PIE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
• Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. (As the crust bakes, you can prepare the filling and streusel.)
• Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
• Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
• Turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.

CARAMEL APPLE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish or spray with nonstick spray.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Mix in melted butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
• Spread about 2/3 of mixture onto bottom of prepared baking dish to form an even thin crust layer. You may need to use the back of a fork or your hands to spread evenly. Set remaining crust mixture aside.
• Bake crust for about 12-14 minutes or until slightly puffed.
• Meanwhile, place chopped apples, caramels, and cream in small saucepan over low heat. Stir until caramel is smooth and melted and apples are slightly soft.
• Pour caramel apple mixture over baked crust. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture on top.
• Bake an additional 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F or until edges are slightly browned. Cool then cut into bars.

CARAMEL APPLE PIE - 2003 1ST PLACE APPLE

Steps:

• Pie Crust:
• Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.
• Filling:
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Turn into pie shell.
• Streusel Topping:
• Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. stir in the crushed toffee bars. Sprinkle over pie. Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and vent top. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes longer.

DANISH PASTRY APPLE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg yolk in measuring cup and add enough milk to make 2/3 cup total liquid. Stir into flour mixture until all flour is damp. Divide the dough in half. On floured surface, roll half the dough into a rectangle and fit into a 9x13 inch pan.
• In large bowl, combine apples, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Put apple mixture in pan. Roll out remaining dough and place over apples. Seal edges and cut slits in top dough. Beat egg white till frothy and brush on crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until golden brown.

APPLE STREUSEL BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Mix flour, cracker crumbs, oats, 1/2 cup brown sugar and sugar. Stir in butter. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of a greased 13x9-in. pan. Bake until set, 8-10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Mix apples, spices and remaining brown sugar. Spread over crust; sprinkle with reserved topping. Bake until apples are tender, 30-35 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., Mix confectioners' sugar and milk; drizzle over top. Cut into bars.

CARAMEL SNICKERDOODLE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13x9-in. baking pan with parchment, letting ends extend over sides by 1 in., In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Spread onto bottom of prepared pan., In a small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle 2 tablespoons mixture over batter. Bake until edges are light brown, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack., Spread dulce de leche over crust. In a small saucepan, combine white baking chocolate, cream and corn syrup; cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Spread over dulce de leche. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour., Lifting with parchment, remove from pan. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

APPLE CRISP BARS

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 baking pan in the bottom and up the sides with tin foil and lightly grease. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and salt until smooth. Stir in flour until moist crumbs form. Press crumbs evenly into prepared pan.
• Bake crust at 350F 10-12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire cooling rack.
• Prepare the filling: Evenly layer sliced apples over pre-baked crust. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over apples.
• Prepare the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a fork until mixture forms into pea-sized crumbs. Sprinkle streusel evenly over apple filling.
• Bake bars at 350F 25 minutes, or until streusel is golden and apples are softened. Cool bars completely on a wire cooling rack before cutting into squares.