Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

These homemade Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce are a sweet tooth’s dream come true. The caramel sauce doubles as a tasty dip for you leftover apples!

Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

As I’m struggling with letting go of summer, my palate can’t help but navigate toward all things fall. I’ve been seeking out recipes using apples, pumpkins, and…(gasp!)…my stove! Because we grill all year long, even here in the Minnesota Tundra, our oven doesn’t get used much during the summer, except for baking sweets. As the weather cools down, the roasting pans, soup pots, and my favorite Le Creuset French Oven begin to make regular appearances.

Last week I was helping our youngest daughter make a bowl of cinnamon apple oatmeal for breakfast. Yes, it was 90 degrees out, but I couldn’t help my desire to bake something with those flavors of fall. It was almost September, after all!

What Are Apple Oatmeal Bars?

This recipe for Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce is basically a blondie with oatmeal and apples added to it, all moist and yummy. It’s then taken a step further with a generous drizzle of the most delicious caramel sauce, flecked with the warmth of cinnamon. The caramel sauce recipe started out with my favorite caramel apple dip. And then I jazzed it up a bit for these bars. Now this is my favorite apple dip!

I just love that this recipe does double duty…apple oatmeal bars with an incredible caramel sauce AND enough caramel for dipping all the beautiful fall apples that are beginning to appear. Truly, a win-win situation.

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Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce

Yield: 16

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

These homemade Apple Oatmeal Bars with Cinnamon Caramel Sauce are a sweet tooth's dream come true. The caramel sauce doubles as a tasty dip for you leftover apples!

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Ingredients

For the Apple Oatmeal Bars

• 10 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups peeled, small diced apples (use firm, tart apples like Granny Smith or Haralsons)

For the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce and Caramel Apple Dip

• 1 14oz bag Kraft caramels, unwrapped
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the Oatmeal Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly spray 9''x13'' pan with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk again.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir together. Fold in the apples and then pour batter into prepared pan, pushing the batter into the corners and spreading evenly.
4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Caramel Sauce

1. In a medium pan over medium heat, combine caramels, sweetened condensed milk, butter, and salt. Stir occasionally until completely melted. Stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Let cool.
2. This yields about 3 cups of caramel. Reserve about 1 cup of caramel for the apple oatmeal bars.
3. Serve the remaining caramel with apples for dipping, warmed or at room temperature.

To Assemble the Bars with Caramel Sauce

1. To get the look of the bars in my photos, first cut the bars and place individual portions on plates. Drizzle with caramel. It works best if the caramel is just barely warm.
2. Otherwise, simply drizzle caramel over cooled bars. Let set, and then cut.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 368mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 2gSugar: 53gProtein: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles!

I’m linking up with

• Cheryl at TidyMom for I’m Lovin’ It (RadLab – easy photo editing tool)