Caramel Apple Bars

 

These caramel apple bars are absolutely wonderful!  I just love fall baking and the first thing I think of is apples.  Other flavors come later, but apples come in September in Georgia, so it is time to use them in baking.  

This recipe comes together really easily, and it only makes a 9″ x 9 ” pan, which is really good for me because I really would eat a whole 9″ x 13″ pan of these things myself.  But, if you want that many, you can just double the recipe and put it in a 9″ x 13″ pan.  When I wrote the recipe, I also doubled the caramel because I really wished I had about twice as much.

Edit:  I just wanted to add that I stored these refrigerated at first and then left them out on the counter.  When I left them out on the counter, they got kind of soggy, so I recommend refrigerating them.

Caramel Apple Bars

Yield: 9

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped apple (I used granny smith.)
• 20 caramels (I used Kraft.)
• 1 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a 9" x 9" baking pan with foil.
3. Grease the foil.
4. Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.
5. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
6. Add baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix for 1 minute.
7. Add flour and mix until well combined.
8. Stir in walnuts and apples.
9. Spread into prepared pan.
10. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until center is set.
11. Cool completely.
12. Combine milk and caramels in a bowl.
13. Microwave at 10 to 15 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Be careful here. It can burn easily. And, the hot caramel is very hot and sticky, so it can burn you too.
14. Drizzle over bars.