Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2008

Since caramel apples don't include cinnamon, I liked the recipe as is--caramel and apples, no cinnamon as others chose to add, and the flavor was just perfect. I used 2/3 of the mixture for the bottom crust and the remainder for the topping and I was happy with that. No need to measure the apples, just use enough to cover. I made half the recipe, which was just perfect in a 7x11" pan, but a 9x9" would have worked well too. I have mixed feelings about these bars--while they are delicious, they are not a sturdy bar so are best suited to "cut as you go" and eaten with a fork. Given that I made these for my husband's staff, this was not a practical choice when what I needed was a "grab and go" bar!

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naples34102

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Living In: Mequon, Wisconsin, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 29, 2008

I diverted from the recipe and followed the suggestions of previous reviewers to use more apples (4 1/2 cups), reduce brown sugar to 1 cup, add a tsp of cinnimon and 1/2 tsp of salt. With the changes, the result was more like a crisp than a bar, and much of the caramel flavor was lost (this was easily remedied by adding a drizzle of caramel before eating). Probably the best apple crisp I've ever had - love the oatmeal cookie crust!

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Momi

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mount Vernon, Washington, USA

Living In: Fairfax, Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2008

These are amazing bars! I made a few of the recommended changes, plus some others. I was using very sweet apples, so I reduced the brown sugar to 1 cup, and that turned out to be perfect, so I think no matter what kind of apples I use, I'll always use less sugar (between the caramel and the apples and the sugar, one cup is enough for me). I also added 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie mixture, and it tasted very, very good! I want to make cookies out of it, I liked it so much. I used 2/3 of the cookie mixture for the crust, and baked it 3 minutes longer than written. I used a lot more apple slices than written in order to make a single layer on top of the crust. I made my own caramel sauce from here. I doubled it, and had 1/2 cup leftover. These were phenomenal and almost obscenely buttery (but the oats and the apple make up for it, right?). Delicious.

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Shekneequa

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: May 19, 2008

Yummy! I'm eating this as I write, and these are amazing! The only thing I would suggest is making your own caramel, cause store-bought+flour just doesn't cut it :)

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tessia

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Nov. 13, 2007

Really easy. Substituted pecans for walnuts. May add some cinnamon next time. Definately a keeper.

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Robyn R.

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Oct. 20, 2007

These turned out really good and I will make them again! I made a few changes. I took the previous posters advice and put 2/3 of the crust in the bottom of the pan and usd the remaining 1/3 on top instead of doing 1/2 and 1/2. That way, the bottom crust is sturdier and you can see the apples better which is more appealing to the eye. I only had one cup of caramel sauce so I just adjusted the amount of flour and it seemed to be plenty. I incread the apples to about 3 and 1/2 cups but I would still like more. I felt that the apple flavor got a little lost. I will try 4 and 1/2 Cups next time. Also, I used 2 Gala and one red delicious apple because that is what I had on hand, next time I will use Granny Smith for a tarter bite. All in all, very good recipe. Thanks for sharing!

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oscar&rubysmom

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Reviewed: Oct. 4, 2007

My 5 year old daughter wanted to take caramel and apples to school for snack. I convinced her that it would be kind of difficult (and MESSY) for her teacher to scoop out caramel and serve 25 kindergarteners with no help. So...I went looking for a recipe that might be a little less messy and still appease her craving. This recipe was easy enough. And we had all ingredients on hand. However, something went wrong with the caramel topping/flour mixture. It says to boil for 3-5 minutes. I went with 4 to be safe. It came out so hard that I had to just lump it in piles around the perimeter. I tried to smooth it with a spatula, but no luck. I thought maybe after baking it would smooth out or melt down. No luck! It just baked in the oven in clumps. Maybe I boiled it too long. If I try again I think I might skip the flour, or atleast use less - it seemed to thicken too much. And boil for 2 - 3 minutes, tops.

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Heather

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Reviewed: Sep. 23, 2007

Very tasty. And, FILLING! I used Jazz apples and added Penzey's Apple Pie Spice to the crust mixture.

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Sumchelle

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 10, 2007

I brought these to work for a party-they were a hit-really be sure to watch the caramel topping-mine burned the first time.

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KatieMac

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Tecumseh, Michigan, USA

Living In: Grand Ledge, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 26, 2007

Lucious! Took them to a VFW potluck, was told by the young bartender that these were the best cookies/bars I've made yet! I made them without nuts to please DH, but they were still great.

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ROWEYOURBOAT

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Apple River, Illinois, USA

Living In: Meeker, Colorado, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2006

I, like many others, put most of the crumble into the crust and I also put more apples than called for. This is just awesome! I took it to church and to a friend's house at Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it. This will be one of my new signature desserts!

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Sharon W.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Morgan City, Alabama, USA

Living In: Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 25, 2006

These bars were delicious and the caramel added a lot to the taste. It was rather crumbly when it was cut so next time would use half amount of mixture for topping and use more for the crust.

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Reda B

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Minden, Nevada, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 30, 2006

These bars are excellent!! I followed the recipe as written, except I added 1/2 t. cinnamon to the oatmeal batter and used 2/3 of the batter for the crust instead of only 1/2(I thought it would make them easier to hold when eating if the bottom crust was a little thicker). I also sprinkled a little cinnamon over the apple before topping with the nuts. I baked them 25 minutes. They turned out picture perfect and tasted incredibly yummy!

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TESSLYNN

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Reviewed: Nov. 30, 2005

I used this recipe on Halloween and Thanksgiving, and it was a big hit! Thanks Christine!! :)

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Mrs. Smith

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Reviewed: Sep. 22, 2005

This was a quick and easy recipe. My daughter needed to bring something with apples and boy was this a hit. Thank you for sharing. It was very yummy.

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Natalie

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Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2005

Turned out a little mushy. I used golden delicious apples, and I use 3 apples instead of 2.

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Klobey

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Reviewed: Mar. 4, 2003

Tasty bars Christine. I followed your instructions implicitly except that I tossed about 1/2t of cinnamon in with the apples for a little more depth of flavor. I used Cameo apples. The taste and texture were perfect. The bottom crust was like eating an oatmeal cookie, too. Thanks

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MAGGIE MCGUIRE

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Reviewed: Nov. 26, 2000

It really didn't take a lot of time to cook, but you must use fresh apples. I made it once with apple filling and it made it too soggy. I liked it a lot, but I made them for a bake sale at school, and I had quite a few left over. My kids weren't impressed either.

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