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Apple Chunkies is a vintage recipe for sweet little bars stuffed with chunks of apples and walnuts and topped with a sweet glaze. No mixer required!
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The Easiest Apple Bars Recipe
Among the huge stash of old recipes I was fortunate enough to inherit from my mother, we found a little pink notebook with even more recipes that she had written down.
The notebook contained mostly dessert recipes (my mom had quite the sweet tooth!) and this recipe called Apple Chunkies immediately caught our eye.
Apple Chunkies are super simple to make and a great choice when you need a quick and easy dessert for any occasion. No mixer required!
A sweet butter and vanilla batter is mixed in a bowl with chunks of apples and chopped walnuts – then baked. As the bars bake, you’ll mix up a simple glaze with butter and brown sugar, plus some milk.
Then pour the glaze over the top of your Apple Chunkies and allow it set before cutting to squares.
Reader Review
“This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!! My husband can eat the all the chunkies in one day, he needs to practice restraint for sure when I make these, and in the fall I make them a lot!! Thank you for this quick, tasty and easy recipe.” -Barbara
Key Ingredients
- Apples – Choose a baking apple for this recipe – one that is firm enough that it holds its shape after cooking, but will still be tender when done. Options include Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady, or Jonagold. Granny Smith can also be used but it will give the bars a more tart and pronouced apple flavor.
- Walnuts – Coarsely chop your walnuts to give these bars their namesake “chunky” texture.
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Table Salt
- Egg
- For the Glaze – More unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and whole milk.
Baking Tips and Tricks
- The quantities in this recipe are perfectly portioned for an 8’x8″ pan. Don’t be tempted to use a 9″x9″ pan – the bars will come out too flat.
- If you want to double the recipe, baking in a 9″x13″ baking dish.
- Be sure to allow the baked apple bars to sit for five minutes after coming out of the oven, before you pour the glaze over. If the bars are still oven-hot, the glaze will soak in rather than sit on top.
- We love these Apple Chunkies while they are still slightly warm. (A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is a great option too!)
- As written, these apple bars have a sweet apple and vanilla flavor – and we love them! However, some readers felt they were too mild in flavor. You can add cinnamon or apple pie spice to the batter if you would prefer.
Apple Chunkies
Apple Chunkies is a vintage recipe for sweet little bars stuffed with chunks of apples and walnuts and topped with a sweet glaze.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
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- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 whole egg
- 1 peeled and cored sweet red baking apple such as Honey Crisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
For the Glaze (optional)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium pan melt butter and remove from heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in sugar to dissolve. Add vanilla and stir again.
- In a small bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt.
- Once the sugar mixture is cool, blend in the egg and mix thoroughly.
- Add the dry mix to the sugar mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the apples and nuts and stir.
- Butter an 8×8-inch pan and spread batter in evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.
- While the pan bakes, place glaze mixture in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil on medium and stir for one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the pan comes out of the oven, let sit for five minutes then spread the glaze over the top. If the glaze tightened up while the pan baked, heat slightly to a spreadable consistency. The glaze should be the consistency of a soft jam or spread and not runny.
- With a sharp knife, cut rows 3 x 4 into 12 pieces.
- With a spatula, remove each piece to a platter and cool, or serve slightly warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Apple Chunkies ahead of time? Yes, you can. Although we enjoy these apple bars still slightly warm out of the oven, they are equally good served at room temperature.
- How do I store leftovers? We suggesting covering the pan with plastic wrap. Then – because there is milk in the glaze – store in the refrigerator for up to three days (if they last that long!).
- Can I freeze leftover Apple Chunkies? Yes. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. Just note that the glaze will probably smudge a bit from being wrapped. OR – you can freeze the entire tray before adding the glaze, then thaw and make the glaze just before serving.
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Last updated: October 1, 2025
AWESOME!!
Thanks Amanda!
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!! My husband can eat the all the chunkies in one day , he needs to practice restraint for sure when I make these, and in the fall I make them a lot !! Thank you for this quick, tasty and easy recipe.
Thank you Barbara!
No wonder I’m a bit chunky since I could easily eat all the “chunkies” in a single day…Just like your hubby…😋
Lol – thanks Debi! 😀
It’s a small cake, which is welcome. I added some cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor.
Thanks Tina!
I loved this recipe., but I had to bake it longer than 30 minutes. About 35 to 40 mins. P.S my friend loved it also. I’m giving her the recipe.
Thanks Arlene!
How do you store these? In fridge or on counter?
Hi Liz – With butter and milk in the recipe, I’d suggest keeping these in the refrigerator for longer term storage.
I made the apple chunkies today. They are delicious and easy to make. I used gala apples but mine didn’t bake as high as the photo and not as cake like, more of a chewy texture, but delicious none the less. Thank you for this and all of your other wonderful recipes.
You’re welcome Donna! Did you happen to use a larger pan (maybe 9×9 instead of 8×8)? That will definitely cause a flatter result.
How long ahead can you make these and they be fresh to serve?
Hi Julie – I would probably bake them no more than a day ahead of serving.
Delicious, simple-to-make dessert. Because I am lazy, I didn’t make the sauce – just served it with vanilla ice cream. A perfect fall dessert. Next time I will add a couple of minutes to the bake time for extra browning.
Thanks Annie!
This was a very easy delicious cake. The caramel topping makes it.
Thanks Tammy!
When freezing this do you freeze with the glaze on or without and then glaze later?
Hi Claudia – I’d suggest freezing it without the glaze, and then when you’r ready to serve, thaw and glaze at that time.