Easy Applesauce Bars
Soft and delicious with an enjoyable cinnamon nutmeg spice our Applesauce Bars are an easy snack or breakfast.
Applesauce Bars Recipe
Applesauce might be my kids favorite snack! We always have applesauce in the house and I love that it adds a natural sweetness and moist texture to baked treats for kids.
This simple and moist applesauce bar recipe is an egg free cross between a dessert bar, cookie and quick bread with cinnamon and nutmeg flavors that offer just the right level of spice! Everyone who eats these LOVES them!
If you enjoy these bars, but want an applesauce recipe with icing check out our Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins for another special treat!
Originally from the school lunch menu, my mother-in-law works in the kitchen at their school and shared this recipe with me.
Ingredients Needed
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Nutmg
- Vanilla
- Applesauce – we prefer unsweetened applesauce
Applesauce Bars without Icing
We have plenty of sweet treats with an excellent layer of icing like our Pumpkin Bars and Frosted Banana Bars. If you want a frosted bar you could easily grab the easy icing recipe from either of these bars and spread it on these applesauce bars. When we are looking for a bar that isn’t quite so sweet this is our go to recipe!
Having an easy recipe that most kids like to take for school treats or soccer snacks is helpful to me as a mom. Another benefit of this recipe is that the applesauce keeps the bars so moist.
How to Make Easy Applesauce Bars
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.
- Beat butter and softened sugar together.
- Add remaining dry ingredients and mix well.
- Stir in applesauce.
- Spread in baking pan and bake for 18 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
Step By Step Instructions
In a medium or large microwave safe mixing bowl melt butter and beat in sugar.
Add applesauce and vanilla and stir well.
In a separate mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients.
Pour one third of the dry ingredients into the applesauce mixture at a time. Stir until mixed.
Pour into a greased 9×13″ baking dish and smooth out with a silicone spatula.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 – 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Do Applesauce Bars Need Refrigerated?
Store moist applesauce bars on the counter if they will be eaten in 1 to 2 days. If the pan will last longer wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator to lengthen shelf life and help decrease food safety concerns.
These bars can also be wrapped tightly and frozen in individual bags or in a larger freezer container.
Other Easy Apple Recipes:
- Caramel Apple Bars
- Crescent Roll Apple Pie
- Instant Pot Pork Chops with Sauerkraut
- Easy Caramel Apple Pork Chops
Applesauce Bars
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 cups applesauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Beat sugar and butter together.3/4 cup butter, 3/4 cup sugar
- Add vanilla and applesauce and stir well.1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 cups applesauce
- Mix remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and stir in 1/3 of them at a time.2 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
- Add applesauce and spread in a greased 9×13 inch baking pan for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.
Did you make this recipe?
Follow PlowingThroughLife on Instagram and Pinterest for more! And don’t forget to leave your thoughts below.
Rate This Recipe Pin This RecipeOriginally shared on September 2, 2018 with updates made on March 27, 2020 and February 14, 2024.
Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m so sorry to say that I made a typo and you are correct. The commercial baking sheet should only be used for the big batch recipe and the smaller size calls for a 9×13 inch pan. I’ve made the update, again I apologize.
Just made these except I changed a few things, I used 1 cup whole wheat flour in exchange for 1 cup regular flour and I used 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar. I also baked them in muffin tin, it made 18 muffins and they cooked in 15-17min. My boys loved them!
Is this for sweetened or unsweetened applesauce?
We typically us unsweetened, but either works fine. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Can I use all applesauce instead of sugar for a sugar free bar, or would that mess up the texture?
I haven’t tried that, but please let me know how it turns out if you do decide to try it. Thanks!
Just tried this and though it looks delicious, there is just too much nutmeg for my taste buds. Next time I will use a pinch of nutmeg so that it doesn’t completely overpower the cake.
I absolutely love this recipe. Taking it for Thanksgiving and it gets better every time I make it.
I made it using gluten free flour…..very good!
For something to easy and quick to make, these are incredibly good. I didn’t have much white sugar to subbed brown sugar and sprinkled a bit of confectioner’s sugar on top when cool.
I made a couple of changes. Used 1/2 c oil and 1/4 c melted butter. Added in chopped walnuts. Omitted the nutmeg (I didnt have any on hand), and added 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Used 1/2 c white sugar and 1/4 brown sugar.
Fantastic! And a great way to use up a jar of applesauce I had in the fridge!
Was a definite hit at work! They loved them!
Love hearing this! Thanks so much for sharing!! ~Jennifer
These are SO easy to put together and such a perfect quick breakfast! My whole family loved them, and I will be adding them to my weekly recipe list! Thanks for sharing!