Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars. Because everyone knows the more streusel the better. These bars are SO GOOD. Fresh, in-season honey crisp apples, mixed with homemade apple butter, and topped with the most delicious, buttery and cinnamony streusel crumb topping. The perfect treat to celebrate autumn!

overhead photo Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars stacked one on top of the other

Starting the weekend off with a celebratory bar like these apple butter bars is just so perfect, especially for this particular Friday. To say that it’s been a really great productive would be an understatement.

If you guys have been reading and following along this week on both HBH and Instagram, then you know that we’ve been working on a huge shoot with Anthropologie in the new studio barn space. It was a long four-day shoot, but it was also amazing, and has me both elated and inspired. I cannot wait to share all the photos and videos we captured. The space looks stunning, the food was delicious, and I honestly feel so grateful and so excited.

It was a GOOD week! A fun, creative, and busy week, spent with an incredible team, in an incredible space, and with incredible weather. It could not have gone better. Going to share some more behind the scenes photos in Sunday’s Favorite’s post, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Fun photos to come!

overhead photo of raw apples raw apples with flowers in photos

In the meantime, I want to dive right in and start telling you guys about these bars.

One, these bars truly are one of the most mouth wateringly delicious apple bars I’ve tasted. And two, I’m a little bit exhausted from one of our longest shooting days of the week and ready for a shower, some food, and then my bed.

SO, let’s talk apple butter bars and get on with our weekend!

overhead close up photo of Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

Details…because it’s all about the details.

As you can get from the recipe title, these bars are focused on two things, autumn apples and streusel. Lots and lots of streusel. If there’s one thing I love paired with a baked apples, it’s a good, buttery, cinnamony streusel. Just typing that out has my mouth watering.

To start, you’ll need to make the cinnamon and butter filled streusel base. It’s a pretty simple mix up of flour, oats, pecans, and a generous amount of both cinnamon and butter. Of course.

Press some of this streusel mix into a pan and pre-bake it. While that’s happening, make the apple filled center of the bars.

3 quarters angled photo of Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

Around this time last year, I made my first batch of homemade apple butter and fell in love. So when the first batch of honey crisp apples arrived a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to make fresh apple butter again (except this time I made it in the instant pot…do you want the recipe?).

I made a double batch, with this recipe in mind, because the sound of an apple butter bar was just too good.

If you’ve never made homemade apple butter, this is the fall to do so. This sounds dramatic, but if you LOVE apples and jammy type spreads, then this apple butter will be life changing…

side angled photo of Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

Anyway, I layered the pre-baked crust with a good amount my homemade apple butter, then I layered the fresh honey crisp apples over top of the apple butter. From here, I topped off the apples with a full layer of streusel and baked the bars in the oven until they were golden, bubbly, and smelling like all kinds of fall deliciousness.

Honestly, these are the BEST.

Buttery, apple filled, flavored with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, and topped with delicious and perfectly sweet streusel. Really, not much beats that. Enjoy warm or at room temperature, possibly alongside a mug of steaming hot coffee, cider…or maybe even your favorite pumpkin spiced latte?!?

Total and complete perfection.

Also? If you bake these up this weekend, your house is going to smell like fall, and trust me, it’s going to be amazing. Who’s down? Cool. Cool. Let’s bake!

See you all tomorrow for a fun Cocktail Saturday Post!

overhead photo of Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars with knife and apple butter in photo

If you make these apple butter bars, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars | halfbakedharvest.com #apples #fallrecipes #applebutter #applebars
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4.29 from 42 votes
The Recipe

Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars

Fresh, in-season honey crisp apples, mixed with homemade apple butter, and topped with the most delicious, buttery and cinnamony streusel crumb topping. The perfect treat to celebrate autumn!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 0 20
Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups old fashion oats
  • 1/2 cup raw pecans
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) cold salted butter, cubed

Filling

  • 1 cup apple butter, homemade or store bought
  • 2 honey crisp apples, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cold salted butter, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.

    2. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon, until the oats are mostly ground. Add the cold butter, pulse until a crumbly dough forms. If the dough seems dry, add 1 tablespoon water.

    3. Press 1/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Transfer to the oven and bake 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

    4. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the maple syrup, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Spread the apple butter evenly over the pre-baked crust. Arrange the apples in an even layer over the apple butter. Sprinkle the remaining 2/3 streusel dough over top of the apples. Lay the butter sliced over the streusel. Return to the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the crumble is a light golden brown.

    5. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Keep stored in a sealed container for up to 1 week. 

horizontal photos of Double the Streusel Apple Butter Bars