Apple crumble bars with salted caramel

Upon a visit to a green grocer that I recently re-discovered, I found the most gorgeous Granny Smith apples. They were a beautiful bright green colour and completely unblemished. I bought a bag full with the intention of eating them as is but once I tasted them, knew they would be absolutely perfect in a recipe. They were perfectly tart and the first thing I thought of pairing them with was salted caramel after all, it worked so well in my Apple pie with salted caramel.

I decided to make these apple crumble bars because I love that they are so easy to pack in lunch boxes but still work so nicely as a chic dessert with a little double cream and a drizzle of salted caramel. They are absolutely scrumptious and all I really have to say is LOOK at that caramel. I mean, really look at it. A thing of beauty, I tell you.

Apple crumble bars with salted caramel

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Course: Baked goods, Baking, Dessert, Sweets

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 -12

Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

for the cookie/crumble

• 450 g flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 200 g sugar
• 200 g cold butter cubed
• 2 eggs

for the apple layer

• 4-5 granny smith apples
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar I used demerara sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

for the salted caramel

• 250 g sugar
• 50 ml water
• 100 g butter
• 100 ml cream
• 2 tablespoons sea salt flakes

Instructions

• To make the crumble mixture, combine the flour, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• With the motor running, add the eggs and blend until the mixture comes together in a ball.
• The dough should be soft but not sticky at all, If the dough is too sticky, simply add more flour.
• On a floured surface, bring the mixture together into a ball.
• Press 3/4 of the mixture into a baking tray (approximately 30cm x 20cm) which has been lined with baking paper.
• Wrap the remaining dough in clingwrap and place both the baking tray and the clingwrapped dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
• In the meanwhile, cut the apples into cubes and mix with the sugar and spices and set aside.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
• When the dough has chilled, top the dough in the baking tray with the apples and smooth into a single layer.
• Grate/crumble the remaining dough on top then place into the oven.
• Allow to bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumble is golden brown and cooked through.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the salted caramel.
• To make the salted caramel, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow the syrup to come to a boil and wash down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pot with a wet pastry brush (just one granule of sugar can cause your caramel to crystalise).
• Allow the syrup to boil until it turns amber in colour then carefully add the butter and cream. The mixture will bubble up aggressively so take care not to burn yourself.
• Stir until the butter and cream are incorporated then allow to bubble for another 5 minutes.
• Take the pot off the heat then stir in the salt and allow the caramel to cool down. At this stage you can also bottle the salted caramel and keep in your fridge for up to 2 months (however, it will almost definitely not last that long!).
• To serve, slice the crumble into bars and serve with a generous drizzle of the salted caramel and thick cream (optional).
• {Store the bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days}