Here’s a Chicago-style bakery apple slice recipe—the kind you see in Midwest bakeries: thick apple filling, buttery shortbread crust, and a crumb topping 🍎🥧
Chicago-Style Bakery Apple Slices
Ingredients
Shortbread crust
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Apple filling
- 6–7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Crumb topping
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, cold and cubed
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Optional glaze (bakery-style)
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp milk
- Splash of vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment.
- Make the crust
Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in flour and salt until crumbly.
Press firmly into the pan.
Bake 15–18 minutes until lightly golden. - Prepare apple filling
Toss apples with sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and cornstarch. - Make crumb topping
Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until chunky crumbs form. - Assemble
Spread apples evenly over warm crust.
Sprinkle crumb topping generously on top. - Bake
Bake 40–50 minutes until apples are tender and topping is golden. - Cool completely
This is key for clean slices—bakery style. - Glaze (optional)
Drizzle glaze over cooled bars.
Bakery Tips
- Slice apples thin so they soften evenly.
- Let the bars chill before cutting for perfect squares.
- These taste even better the next day.
If you want, I can give you a caramel apple version, Dutch crumb-heavy style, or extra-thick bakery slabs 🍏✨
