Description
These apple pie crumble bars are somewhere between apple pie and apple crisp, all packaged up in a yummy oat crumble bar and perfect for apple season.
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble
- 1 ½ cup old-fashioned oats (150 g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (120 g)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar (110 g)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegan butter, melted (115 g)
- pinch of salt, if using unsalted butter
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 1/2 cups diced Granny Smith apples (420 g, about 2 large or 3–4 small apples)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves, optional
- 2 tbsp white granulated sugar (35 g)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (30 mL)
Instructions
- Prepare: Begin by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and lining an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Be sure to leave some parchment paper sticking out to make removing the bars easier. If you don’t have parchment paper, lightly grease the pan or spray with a light coating of cooking spray.
- Mix Crust and Crumble: Melt the butter and combine it with the oats, flour, brown sugar, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Stir the mixture until a wet, sandy mixture forms. Set aside.
- Make Apple Pie Filling: In a medium sized saucepan, combine the apples, spices, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Stir the mixture regularly over medium-low heat until the apples soften and the mixture is gooey, about 10 minutes.
- Assemble Bars: While the apples are cooking, spread about 1 3/4 cups of oat mixture along the bottom of the baking dish and press it down firmly to create a crust. Once the the apples are ready, add the apple mixture over the crust in an even layer and sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top to form the crumb topping. Press everything down gently using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Bake and Cool: Bake the dish in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until golden brown and then allow to cool in the pan for at least 1 hour or preferably until completely cool before removing from the pan. Do not skip this step as the bars need to firm as they cool. If you cut them too early, they will fall apart. If you like, you can cool for about 30 minutes then put the pan in the fridge until chilled to speed up the process. Once chilled, they’re nice and firm.
- Serve: Lift the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper, cut into 12 pieces and enjoy! For large bars, you can slice into 9 servings. For smaller bars, slice into 16. If you didn’t use parchment paper, cut the bars directly in the pan and carefully remove one at at time. For a special dessert, serve warm in a bowl with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Granny Smith apples generally work best for apple pie type dishes, but other apples that can be used include Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp apples. You can also use a combination of different apples.
Let the bars cool completely before storing. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, freeze wrapped tightly in the pan or slice and transfer to a container and freeze for 3-4 months. If layering in the container, put a piece of parchment or wax paper between the layers to prevent sticking.
Use a digital scale to measure the ingredients accurately for best results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 179
- Sugar: 13 g
- Sodium: 76 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 3 g
Keywords: apple crumble bars