Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal later. This makes cleanup a breeze and ensures your bars come out perfectly.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, and salt until smooth. Gradually add the flour and mix until the dough comes together.

Press the dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the filling.

In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with the granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Make sure every slice is well coated with the warm spices. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the baked crust.

In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work it into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples.

Bake the bars in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.

Your kitchen will smell amazing at this point! Remove from the oven and let the bars cool completely in the pan.

Once the bars are cool, drizzle the caramel sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste for that perfect sweet-and-salty finish. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan, then slice into squares or rectangles.