Chicago Style Bakery Apple Slices

If you’ve ever been to Chicago, you know these apple slices are a beloved bakery staple — sweet, buttery, and topped with a golden crumb that melts in your mouth. Now you can make them at home!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Filling:

4 cups peeled, thinly sliced apples (Granny Smith or your favorite tart apple)

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1 tbsp lemon juice

For the Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine crust flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, beat the egg and vanilla, then add to the flour mixture and mix until dough forms. Press half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the pan.

In another bowl, toss apples with sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Spread evenly over the crust.

For the crumb topping, mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over apples.

Crumble remaining half of dough over the top.

Bake for 45–50 minutes or until topping is golden and apples are tender.

Let cool before cutting into slices.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce for extra indulgence!