Sweet and gooey snickerdoodle apple pie bars are the perfect fall dessert. The base layer is a snickerdoodle bar topped with cinnamon-spice apple pie filling and topped with more snickerdoodle. It's delicious served warm with ice cream!
We are TWO days away from Thanksgiving. What the heck!
I'm obviously in charge of dessert for Thursday. On the menu we've got pumpkin pecan toffee bars and paleo caramel apple cake.
My grandpa is making the pumpkin pie and my aunt is making the apple pie. Which means I get to make the more interesting and unique desserts. The not-so-classic desserts!
I pride myself on making desserts that have a unique twist or different take on a classic recipe. I love to do a mashup up two recipes like pumpkin snickerdoodle cobbler or pumpkin pie bars with gingersnap crust.
And that's how we landed here. With a mash up of two of my favorite desserts. Apple pie and snickerdoodles. Apple pie AND snickerdoodles.
I really wish I could take credit for this recipe but all the creative props go to my fiance. He came up with this mash up. I just executed and took the pictures.
We like to sit around the house and brainstorm recipe ideas. If you came into our kitchen you'd see random post it notes with recipe ideas we have at random times. Or the notes in my phone and my computer. Just tons of recipe ideas.
That's what we do on the weekends. We catch up on This Is Us, pretend like we're going to clean the house, shop online and brainstorm dessert recipes.
Anyone else to 3 out of these 4 things?
Our most recent online shopping includes christmas home decor and candles. Can ya tell we're home bodies? Give us a good movie, a comfy couch and some hot chocolate and I'm set.
I actually watched 4 Christmas movies in a row on Sunday afternoon. I had every intention of working out or doing something somewhat productive, then I remembered Hallmark movies were on Netflix. I had no chance.
I should have been prepping for Thanksgiving too. Or making these snickerdoodle apple pie bars to take to work for friends. And they aren't that hard to make so I really could have gotten them done.
How to Make Snickerdoodle Apple Pie Bars
Start making these snickerdoodle apple pie bars by making the snickerdoodle dough. One third of the snickerdoodle dough is going to be the base of this recipe and form the bottom of the bars. They're chewy and filled with cinnamon.
After you have the base down you'll add the apple pie filling. It's a mix of apples, sugar and flour. It gets thick and gooey on the inside when it bakes!
You'll top the apples with extra snickerdoodle and give it a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar which makes a delicious crust.
I love to serve my snickerdoodle apple pie bars warm with ice cream. All of my favorite desserts involve some sort of warmed up dessert with a serving of cold ice cream.
Anyone else love a dessert a la mode?!
This is my last fall-inspired dessert of the season and I promise you it does not disappoint!
Next week I'll be starting COOKIE WEEK so get excited! It's new cookie recipes for the entire week and it's one of my favorite weeks of the year!
In the meantime enjoy your holiday with family and friends! I'll be at my parents house with 18 of my family members and I can't wait.
And don't forget to follow along on Instagram for daily updates!
More apple recipes:
Ingredients
- For the snickerdoodles:
- 2 1/4 cup. all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon. kosher salt
- ¾ cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
- For Apple Pie Filling:
- 2 large apples peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º and grease a 9"-x-9 baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Next, prepare snickerdoodle layer. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate large bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until just combined. Gradually add prepared flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.
- Press two-thirds of the snickerdoodle dough into an even layer in the bottom of the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is baking, make the apple pie filling. Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, and cinnamon together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Once the bottom layer is baked pour the apple mixture on top and press down firmly.
- Break up remaining snickerdoodle dough into small clumps and sprinkle over apple pie layer, then sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar.
- Place back in the oven until it turns golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing into squares.
Mary Tognazzini says
TWO APPLES EQUALS?? CUPS. TOPPIING USE LIKE CRUMBLE?
Shatoria says
This is one of my favorite recipes now! Anyone that eats this will die and go to heaven. I've had people tell me that it "tastes better than apple pie" and "I don't think I can go back to apple pie". I make a 1.5x batch and use a 9×13 pan. It's the perfect amount. I also add a little bit of extra vanilla for enhanced flavor. This recipe is one for the books for sure. I'll probably be making it until I'm 90.
Molly Thompson says
OMG This is the best comment I've ever received!! I love this!
Morgan says
These were so so delicious! Easy to make and a crowd favorite. Will make these again for sure
Gretch says
Thanks for sharing, Molly! My family loved it so much. 3 people asked for the recipe. You rock!
Kenzie says
Hi Molly! I love your recipes and I have been having them every week to help my PCOS. I have a question about this one. Is there anything I could do to replace the eggs? My husband is vegan and loves apples but can’t have eggs. I know applesauce or egg replacement is an option but I wanted your opinion. Thank you!
Molly Thompson says
Hey Kenzie! Applesauce would be a good idea. You could also try a flax egg. You can google how to make them it's super easy, just flax seed and water!
Rachel says
I know a lot of snickerdoodle recipes (cookies at least) use cream of tartar. I noticed it isn’t in your recipe. Do you ever use it? Do you find it tastes different without it?
Kim says
My family loves these and demands them at any holiday meal. I usually reduce the sugar, up the apples, replace at least 1 egg with a flax egg, up the cinnamon, skip the topping using it all for the crust, but I’ll add oats and more cinnamon to the top. I have also added butterscotch chips to the crust and that was excellent.
Molly Thompson says
Thank you, Kim! We love this one too! Butterscotch chips sounds delicioous!
Heather says
The dough seemed very sticky. Is that how it was supposed to be?
Karen says
One of the best dessert recipes ever! I’ve made them 3 times and each time they were a hit. I made them the day before and kept in the fridge overnight and served either at room temp or slightly chilled and they held together perfect. I’ve shared it with all of my baking friends as well! Will definitely be a go to recipe for parties going forward. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!