Ah, Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices—these are soft, sweet apple bars with a buttery crust, spiced apple filling, and often topped with a crumbly streusel. 🍎🥧
Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
For the Apple Filling:
- 4–5 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp flour (to thicken)
For the Crumb Topping:
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
1. Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
2. Make the Crust
- Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and butter until crumbly.
- Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
3. Prepare the Apple Filling
- In a bowl, toss sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour.
- Spread apples evenly over the crust.
4. Add Crumb Topping
- Mix flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter until crumbly.
- Sprinkle evenly over the apple layer.
5. Bake
- Bake 40–45 minutes until topping is golden and apples are tender.
6. Cool & Serve
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares or rectangles.
- Optional: dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Tips
- Use Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples for a balance of tart and sweet.
- For extra flavor, stir in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans in the topping.
- These apple slices store well and are great for gift boxes or potlucks.
If you want, I can also give you a shortcut Chicago-style apple slice recipe that uses boxed cake mix for the crust and still tastes bakery-fresh.
Do you want me to do that?
