Oatmeal Caramel Apple Bars

Three of my favorite things - oatmeal, caramel and apples - all in one cookie bar. Sign me up! I made these for a small PTO meeting at my house the other night and they were the perfect thing to get us through the meeting. I loved the oatmeal cookie crust, caramel and the apple pieces. I added some extra caramel on top..just because I could. :)

They're super easy to make and something the kids can help you make too! The next time I make these, I'm going to dice the apples instead of finely chop them, I want a little more apple chunks in them.

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter

1 pouch oatmeal cookie mix (Betty Crocker)

1 egg

1 cup diced, peeled apple 

3/4 cup caramel sauce (not caramel topping that's used on ice cream)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil and set aside. 

In a large bowl, add the cookie mix and dice in the cold butter. Mix using a pastry cutter or two knives in a scissor motion. Add in the egg and mix completely. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the cookie mixture and set aside. Press the remaining cookie mixture into the lined baking pan to form a crust. 

Bake for 15 minutes. While the crust is baking, peel the apples and dice the apples. Spread the diced apples over the baked cookie crust. Warm the caramel sauce in the microwave for a few seconds to be thin enough to pour over the apples. Crumble the reserved cookie mix over the top of the caramel covered apples. 

Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool to room temperature and cut into bars. If desired, warm additional caramel sauce and drizzle over the top of the bars. Dig in! 

Source: Baked By Rachel