Caramel Apple Bars

These were yummy apple bars as well, also from Recipe Girl (http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/07/31/caramel-apple-bars/). There is more homemade sauce than the recipe says to add to the bars. You could either cut the ingredients down or use it for something else!

HOMEMADE CARAMEL:

1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half & half)

2 cups brown sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

4 Tbs butter

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

CRUST:

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup butter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup ground pecans (again, I omitted)

2 cups rolled oats

FILLING:

3½ cups sliced apples (about 24 ounces)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup homemade caramel

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 9×13-inch pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. Prepare caramel: Mix caramel ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until it reaches soft-ball stage (230-234 degrees). Remove from heat. (I'm not sure exactly what that means...I just heated it until it thickened up a bit!)
3. In a medium bowl, beat the brown sugar and the next 4 ingredients (through baking soda) until thoroughly combined. Mix in the flour, ground pecans (if desired) and oats until crumbly. scoop out 1 cup and set aside. Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom.
4. Toss apples in a large bowl with the salt and cinnamon. Arrange them over the crust. Drizzle 1 cup of warm caramel over the top and the sprinkle with the remaining crumbs you set aside.
5. Bake 35- 40 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool until they are just warm to the touch. Cut into squares. Try and let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving.