Caramel Apple Bars

If you know me at all you know that I love fall. I get a little too excited about going to the pumpkin patch, eating everything pumpkin I can find (has anyone tried Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese?!), stepping in as many leaf piles as I can, and coming up with new ways to use the delicious apples that grow so well in Oregon.

This fall I was the lucky recipient of a Groupon for 10 lbs of apples from a local farm from my dad. I have used the apples to make dehydrated apple rings, applesauce, apple fruit rolls, and pumpkin apple crumb bread. Its been a few weeks and I still had a few of the beautiful granny smith apples left so I decided to try a new recipe.

I absolutely adore apple crisp but I wanted to make something that I could share with friends and family and that didn't need to be eaten right our of the oven. In my search for recipes I came across this recipe for caramel apple bars. It is like a apple crisp, but in bar form. With caramel! GENIUS!

I found myself in two predicaments when I decided on this recipe and realized I had no brown sugar or caramels. (I am a person who hates having to run to the store when I am in the baking mood). I got very resourceful and made my own brown sugar (yes it is possible! Just add one tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of granulated sugar) and made my own caramel by cooking down a can of sweetened condensed milk. And yes it did work!

All my family and friends loved the bars! Mine had a hard time staying in "bar form" but it didn't matter because they were so delicious! I will definitely make them again and hope you try them too.
Thanks Betty Crocker!

 Caramel Apple Bars

Thanks to Betty Crocker for the recipe!

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 bag (14 ounces) caramels

1 Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. 

2 Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly. 

3 Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator. 

**I added a sprinkling of cinnamon to the apples after I layered them into the pan. For a little added fall spice!