Wow. The apple season has arrived (at least here in the Pacific Northwest). And I could not be happier.
Every day, when I was working at a college sandwich shop, I would bring in a granny-smith apple for my midday snack. I ate one apple every day for two years. That’s love!
This recipe brings my love of apples to a new level. These bars remind me of apple pie, apple strudel, and apple crisp all in one. These delicious Apple Pie Crumble Bars are ready in just 10 minutes and with only ten ingredients. Let’s get started!
It’s so simple: Almonds, oats, coconut sugar and salt, plus coconut oil. That’s it! When it bakes, it looks like a graham crust without the preservatives and weird ingredients.
The apples are coated in coconut sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice before being pre-baked to achieve that classic, tender, sweet-tart apple pie texture.
The topping is also easy! Mix coconut sugar, gluten-free flour, and coconut oil and crumble on top to get a slightly crispy, crumbly topping.
Ingredients
Filling
- Apples (half tart and half sweet // 1 apple yields about 1 cup cubed).
- Coconut sugar (depending on the sweetness of apples).
- 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Juice 1 medium lemon (produces about three tablespoons or 45 ml, as per the original recipe).
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp of cornstarch
CRUST
- 1 cup rolled gluten-free Oats
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 5-6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
CRUMBLE TOPPING
- 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
- Use Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 gluten-free blend or DIY Blend to take three tablespoons of gluten-free flour
- 1/4 cup gluten-free Rolled Oats
- Coconut oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp
GLAZE Optional
- One cup of organic powdered Sugar (ensure vegan-friendly – I prefer Trader Joe’s brand).
- Unsweetened almond milk 1-2 Tbsp
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- Add the apples, along with the coconut sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt, to a separate dish. Also, add coconut oil, lemon juice, cornstarch, and coconut oil. Mix well.
- Cover with foil and cook for 18 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for another 4-5 minutes or until the apples are slightly caramelized.
- Add oats and almonds to a high-speed blender while the apples are baking. Pulse until a fine meal is formed, but make sure there are no large pieces.
- Add coconut oil to the mixture (starting with a smaller amount). Pulse a few times more until you get a crumbly, sticky dough that looks like wet sand.
- Spread the mixture in the baking dish, and use your fingers to press it into an even layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes (176C). Then increase the heat to 375 degrees F (190 C), and continue baking for 5-8 more minutes, or until the crust smells and the edges have a light golden color. Set aside.
- Prepare crumble while crust bakes. Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix with a fork or fingers. Set aside.
- Spread evenly the juices/sauce from the baked apples on top of the crust. Spread crumble topping evenly over apples.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes until the apples are bubbling and warm and the crumble is golden.
- If you are serving the almond milk with a glaze (optional), add 1 Tbsp of powdered sweetener to a bowl. The ice should be thick but pourable. Add more almond milk if the ice is too thick. If it is too thin, you can add more powdered Sugar. Set aside.
- Remove squares and allow to cool for about 45 minutes. After cooling, remove the bars from the pan. Top with optional glaze. Cut into nine squares. (Amount is as written in the original recipe // adjust for batch size).
- Enjoy these with a fork if you want to avoid crumbling! Enjoy it with coconut whipping cream and vanilla bean coconut ice cream for extra decadence!
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature, 3-4 days in the fridge, or one month in the freezer.
