Ingredients:

  • For the Crust & Crumble Topping:
  • All-purpose flour — 2 1/2 cups (312 g)
  • Granulated sugar — 2/3 cup (133 g)
  • Light brown sugar, packed — 1/3 cup (67 g)
  • Baking powder — 1 teaspoon (4 g)
  • Fine sea salt — 1/2 teaspoon (3 g)
  • Ground cinnamon — 1 teaspoon (≈2.5 g)
  • Unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes — 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons / 170 g)
  • Large egg — 1 (about 50–60 g)
  • Pure vanilla extract — 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
  • For the Apple Filling:
  • Firm baking apples (Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or a mix) — 5 cups thinly sliced (about 5 medium apples / 700–800 g peeled, cored, sliced)
  • Granulated sugar — 1/2 cup (100 g)
  • Light brown sugar, packed — 1/4 cup (50 g)
  • Cornstarch — 2 tablespoons (16 g) (or 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour)
  • Ground cinnamon — 1 1/2 teaspoons (≈3.75 g)
  • Ground nutmeg — 1/4 teaspoon (0.5–1 g)
  • Lemon juice — 1 tablespoon (15 ml)
  • Pure vanilla extract — 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
  • Fine sea salt — pinch (1/8 teaspoon)
  • Optional Glaze:
  • Confectioners’ (icing) sugar — 1/2 cup (60 g)
  • Milk or cream — 1 to 2 teaspoons (5–10 ml)
  • Optional pinch of cinnamon or vanilla

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
  2. Make the crust: In a bowl combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. Cut cold butter into the dry mix until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
  4. Reserve about 1 to 1 1/4 cups of the crumb mixture for the topping and set aside. To the remaining crumbs add the egg and vanilla and mix briefly to form a slightly cohesive dough.
  5. Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan to form the base (about two-thirds of total dough).
  6. Blind-bake the base for 12–15 minutes until edges are set and slightly golden.
  7. While the base bakes, prepare the apple filling: Toss sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch (or flour), cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until evenly coated.
  8. Remove the partially baked crust from the oven. Spread the apple filling in an even layer over the warm base.
  9. Sprinkle the reserved crumble evenly over the apples, pressing down lightly if needed to adhere.
  10. Bake for 30–35 minutes more at 350°F (175°C), until the topping is golden brown and apple juices are bubbling at the edges; tent with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
  11. Cool bars in the pan on a wire rack for at least 45–60 minutes (preferably longer) so the filling sets for clean slices.
  12. If using glaze, whisk confectioners’ sugar with milk or cream to a drizzling consistency and drizzle over cooled bars. Lift bars from pan using parchment overhang and slice into 16 bars.
  13. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, or a drizzle of caramel.