Recipe details
Ingredients
- 225g unsalted butter, melted
- 180g light brown soft sugar
- 300g plain flour
- 3 medium apples, peeled, cored and diced small
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper, leaving a little excess paper over the sides to make the bars easier to lift out later.
- Add the melted butter and light brown soft sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth and combined.
- Add the plain flour and mix until you have a soft, crumbly dough.
- Tip approximately two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared tin and press it down firmly and evenly to create the base.
- Place the diced apples into a bowl, add the ground cinnamon and toss until evenly coated.
- Scatter the cinnamon apples over the base in an even layer.
- Crumble the remaining dough over the apples in rough pieces. Don't press the topping down — leaving it loose creates a more textured, golden crumble once baked. Leave a few small gaps so the apples can peek through.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden and the apples underneath are tender.
- Leave the apple crumble bars to cool completely in the tin before slicing.
- For especially neat, sharp-edged squares, place the cooled tray in the fridge for around 30 minutes before cutting.
- Cut into 9 large squares or 12 smaller bars and serve.
If you’re looking for an easy autumn bake that makes the most of apple season, these 5-Ingredient Apple Crumble Bars are one of the simplest recipes you can make.
They’re somewhere between a traditional apple crumble and a buttery shortbread slice: a soft, crumbly base topped with cinnamon-spiced apples and more of the same buttery mixture crumbled over the top.
Best of all, the entire recipe uses just five ingredients, and the same mixture creates both the base and the crumble topping, so there’s very little washing up.
They’re perfect for September baking, lunchboxes, afternoon coffee, cosy weekends or simply using up a few apples.
Why you'll love these Apple Crumble Bars
- Only 5 ingredients
- No mixer required
- One mixture makes both the base and topping
- Easy to prepare in around 15 minutes
- Perfect for apple season
- Great for making ahead
- Easy to slice and transport
- All the flavour of apple crumble in a handheld bar
What do Apple Crumble Bars taste like?
These bars have all the flavours of a classic British apple crumble but in an easy-to-eat slice.
The base is buttery and slightly shortbread-like, the apples become soft and jammy as they bake, and the cinnamon gives them that familiar cosy autumn flavour.
The crumble topping becomes golden and crisp around the edges while remaining buttery and tender underneath.
Which apples are best for Apple Crumble Bars?
You can make these with most everyday eating apples.
Apples that hold their shape reasonably well when baked are particularly good because you want small pieces of apple throughout the bars rather than a completely smooth purée.
Good options include:
- Braeburn
- Pink Lady
- Jazz
- Granny Smith
- Cox
- Gala
You can also use Bramley apples, although they're much more tart and break down more readily. If using Bramleys, you may prefer to combine them with a sweeter eating apple.
Do I need to cook the apples first?
No.
One of the reasons this recipe is so easy is that the diced apples go into the tin raw.
Dice them relatively small and they'll soften perfectly during the 35–40 minute bake without requiring an extra saucepan or cooking stage.
Why does the recipe use melted butter?
Using melted butter makes these apple crumble bars particularly quick and easy.
There's no need to rub cold butter into flour or use an electric mixer. Simply combine the melted butter with the sugar and flour to create a soft crumble dough.
That same mixture can then be pressed into the tin for the base and crumbled over the apples for the topping.
How do I stop Apple Crumble Bars falling apart?
The most important thing is to let them cool completely before cutting them.
When the bars first come out of the oven, the butter and apple juices are still warm, so the structure will be much softer.
As they cool, the base firms up and the bars become much easier to slice.
For picture-perfect squares, chill the completely cooled bars for around 30 minutes before cutting them with a sharp knife.
Also make sure you press the bottom layer firmly into the tin before adding the apples.
Can I add caramel?
Absolutely.
A drizzle of salted caramel works particularly well with the apple and cinnamon.
However, I deliberately keep the base recipe to just five ingredients because I think part of its appeal is how genuinely simple it is.
You could serve the bars with:
- Salted caramel sauce
- Vanilla ice cream
- Whipped cream
- Warm custard
- A dusting of icing sugar
How to store Apple Crumble Bars
Once completely cool, store the bars in an airtight container.
They will keep for around 2–3 days at room temperature in a cool kitchen.
If your kitchen is particularly warm, or you'd like them to keep slightly longer, refrigerate them and allow them to come back towards room temperature before serving.
Can you freeze Apple Crumble Bars?
Yes.
Once completely cool, cut the bake into individual bars and wrap them well before placing them into a freezer-safe container.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Allow them to defrost at room temperature before serving.
Tips for the best Apple Crumble Bars
Dice the apples small.
Small pieces soften during baking without making the filling overly wet.
Press the base firmly.
This helps create a sturdy bottom layer that holds together when sliced.
Don't press down the crumble topping.
Loose chunks create a more attractive, craggy crumble.
Let the bars cool completely.
This is the biggest secret to clean slices.
Don't overbake them.
You're looking for a golden top and tender apples rather than an extremely hard shortbread base.
Easy Autumn Baking
These 5-Ingredient Apple Crumble Bars are exactly the sort of recipe I love at the beginning of autumn: familiar, cosy and incredibly easy.
They give you everything you want from an apple crumble — warm cinnamon, buttery crumble and soft apples — without needing bowls of custard and spoons to eat them.
And with only five ingredients and around 15 minutes of preparation, they're an easy recipe to come back to throughout apple season.
