Caramel Apple Pecan Bars

Halloween is the perfect excuse to bake treats. It seems like every year I spend the better part of a day creating goodies. (I'm not big into candy. I'd rather make my sweets than purchase them.) This year I made three: one with chocolate, a second with apples, and another with pumpkin (all the important food groups)! So over the next week I'll be sharing a lot of dessert recipes with you, possibly interspersed with something nutritious.

Somewhat reminiscent of apple crisp, these caramel apple pecan bars are chewy, gooey, and cinnamony (which is now a word).  The pecans are ground into the crumble. You might not even notice they're there. If that's a problem, you could toss a few chopped pecans on top. Make sure to allow plenty of time for these bars to set. While they might taste good warm, they won't maintain their shape. 

INGREDIENTS
Oatmeal Pecan Crust:
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup ground pecans (I ground them in the food processor)
2 cups rolled oats

Filling:
3 1/2 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (I used 3 large Granny Smiths)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup homemade caramel sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with cooking spray.

2. 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 and oats until crumbly. Scoop out 2 cups and set aside. Place the remaining crumbs into your prepared pan and press down firmly to coat the bottom.

3. 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.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and the apples are just tender. Remove and let cool before cutting into squares. Let the bars rest until the caramel has set before serving.

Makes a 9x13 pan of bars.

(Adapted from Recipe Girl)