Here’s a recipe for Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices — those delicious, flaky, sweet-tart apple bars you often find in Chicago bakeries. They’re known for their buttery shortbread crust, cinnamon-spiced apple filling, and a crumbly streusel topping.
Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust:
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2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
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¾ cup granulated sugar
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1 large egg
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1 tsp vanilla extract
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½ tsp salt
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1 tsp baking powder
For the apple filling:
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4 large apples (preferably a tart variety like Granny Smith or a mix of Granny Smith and Fuji)
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¾ cup granulated sugar
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2 tbsp all-purpose flour
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1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
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¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
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1 tbsp lemon juice
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Pinch of salt
For the crumb topping:
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1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup packed brown sugar
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1 tsp ground cinnamon
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¾ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
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Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (for extra crunch)
Instructions
1. Prepare the crust:
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
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Cut the cold cubed butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.
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In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with vanilla extract.
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Add the egg mixture to the flour and butter, mixing until the dough comes together. It may seem crumbly, but keep mixing or kneading lightly until it holds.
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Press about 2/3 of the dough evenly into a greased or parchment-lined 9×13-inch baking pan to form the crust.
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Bake the crust for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden.
2. Prepare the apple filling:
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Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples.
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In a large bowl, toss the apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt until evenly coated.
3. Assemble the apple slices:
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Remove the partially baked crust from the oven.
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Spread the apple mixture evenly over the crust.
4. Make the crumb topping:
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In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
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Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
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If using nuts, stir them in.
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Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the apples.
5. Bake:
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Return the pan to the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are bubbly and tender.
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If the crumb topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
6. Cool and serve:
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Allow the apple slices to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
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Once cooled, cut into squares or rectangles.
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Serve plain, or with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Tips for the best Chicago-Style Apple Slices:
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Use a mix of tart and sweet apples for a balanced flavor.
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Make sure the butter is cold for both the crust and crumb topping to achieve that perfect crumbly texture.
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Don’t skip the lemon juice in the filling; it keeps the apples bright and prevents browning.
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Let the bars cool completely before slicing for clean edges.