Sourdough Apple Pie Bars

5 from 1 vote

A delicious recipe for Sourdough Apple Pie Bars with a shortbread crust, a flavor-packed apple filling, and a crumble topping! Easier than making an apple pie!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Cooling Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 318kcal

Author: Jessica Vogl

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Filling

4 large apples diced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

For the Crust & Crumble

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup pecans toasted and chopped
½ cup light brown sugar packed
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
14 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into chunks
200 grams (about ¾ cup) sourdough discard cold and unfed
Turbinado sugar for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Bake the pecans for 6 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the Crust. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, chopped pecans, sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cubed butter and sourdough discard. Use a fork or pastry cutter to combine the ingredients. The dough will be crumbly (we love those butter chunks!) but not dry.
Press half the dough into the prepared baking pan. Place the remaining dough (for the crumble topping) in the refrigerator.
Bake the crust in the baking pan for 15 minutes, then set aside.
Make the Filling. While the crust is baking, core and dice* the apples, then toss in a large bowl with the lemon juice.
In a large skillet or sautée pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Cook the apple mixture for 8-10 minutes, releasing the juices, until the liquid becomes slightly jammy.
Assemble the bars. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the baked crust in the 9x9-inch baking pan. Crumble the remaining crust mixture on top, making sure you can still see some of the apple layer. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is browned and the apples are bubbling. Let cool at least 1 hour before serving. (If you want to speed up the cooling, let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then 30 minutes in the refrigerator).

Video

Notes

*If you dice the apples, you do not need to peel them. If you'd rather have apple slices, I do recommend peeling the apples.

To make this recipe with active sourdough starter, replace the sourdough discard with active starter (200g). You will not need to change any other ingredients in the recipe.

Nutrition