Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line with a length of parchment paper extending a couple inches above the pan on each side, so you can lift out the finished squares.
Category
Dessert
Keyword
apple, caramel apple, caramel apple crumble squares
2 ½cupsall-purpose flour,using the scoop and level method to measure
1teaspoonground cinnamon
pinchsalt
Filling
1tablespoonlemon juice
1teaspoonground cinnamon
¼teaspoonfinely grated nutmeg
¼teaspoonkosher salt
½cupcaramel sauce (homemade or purchased),plus more for serving
2 ½poundsapples,preferably 2 or 3 varieties
How To Make This Recipe
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, using a stand mixer. Add the flour and cinnamon and slowly stir until the mixture forms crumbs pea-sized and smaller; don’t over mix or you’ll end up with something like cookie dough.
Spread out two-thirds of the crumble in the prepared baking pan, lightly patting it even. Place the pan into the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes to prebake. Set aside once done.
Wash, core and peel the apples. Cut them in half vertically, then thinly slice them (about 1/8-inch or 2 ml thick).
Place the apples in a large mixing bowl and toss them with the lemon juice. Sprinkle over the spices and salt and, using a spatula, gently stir to distribute the spices without breaking the apple slices. Pour the caramel sauce over and stir again until the apples are mostly coated.
Scoop the prepared apple slices over the pre-baked crust in small batches, moving them around to distribute them as evenly and flatly as possible. Scrape the remaining caramel juices over the apples. Scatter the remainder of the crumble evenly over the apples, ensuring the entire surface is well covered.
Bake for one hour on the centre rack of the oven, until the apples are tender and the crumble topping is golden. Place the pan on a rack for several hours to cool completely, so all the juices settle. Use the parchment paper to gently lift out and transfer the finished dish to a cutting board.
To serve, plate the individual squares and drizzle them with more caramel sauce.
Recipe Notes
The 15 minutes to pre-bake the crumble crust occurs during the prep time, so isn't added into total time for this recipe.