Healthy Apple Pie Crumble Bars (vegan, gluten-free)
I’m so excited to finally share with you these healthy apple pie crumble bars. Sorry I’ve been a little MIA lately! We moved to California and finally got our POD delivered. We are about 85% unpacked, settling into our new home, and I can finally sit and write this blog post up. These healthy apple pie crumble bars would be perfect for Thanksgiving this year! I personally love a crumble bar more than a pie.
These are healthy enough to eat for breakfast or dessert. I love eating leftovers for breakfast with some dairy-free yogurt. The flavors and different textures from the apples, nuts, oats, and spices make these apple pie crumble bars absolutely delicious! I re-tested these with fuji apples from my tree and they were SO good. I used a combination of granny smith and fuji apples, but you can use whatever apples you like.
I also tested these with an 8×8 pan and a 9×9 pan. If you use a 9×9 pan, they will just be a little thinner than the 8×8 pan. The crumble bars pictured below were baked in a 9×9 pan. Both turned out beautifully. This is definitely one of my favorite desserts and a twist on my all time favorite apple crisp. You need to make this for Thanksgiving…or any day really!
Healthy Apple Pie Crumble Bars (vegan, gluten-free)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp rolled oats
- 1 cup raw nuts (I did half almonds, half walnuts)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, room temperature/hardened
Filling
- 5 cups chopped apples (about 3 large apples, I used a mixture of fuji and granny smith)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
Crumble
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats divided (1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, hardened/room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 pan (or 9×9 for slightly thinner bars) with parchment paper. To make the crust, put the oats in a food processor. Process the oats until a fine flour forms. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until it is crumbly, like wet sand. Press firmly into the pan and use the bottom of a large glass to firmly pack it in evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool for a little bit.
- While the crust is baking. Make the filling. Add all filling ingredients except for the cornstarch into a medium pot on medium high heat. Simmer and stir for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Turn down the heat to medium low and add in the cornstarch. Stir to combine and until it thickens. Turn off heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Make crumble by adding the coconut sugar, 1/4 cup of oats, and cinnamon to the food processor. Process until fine crumbs form. Add the coconut oil. Pulse until it’s combined. Take the blade out and stir in the other 1/4 cup of oats with a fork or your fingers until a crumble forms. Set aside.
- After the crust has cooled for 10-15 minutes, add the filling and spread it into an even layer. Then sprinkle with crumble topping evenly across the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top is golden. Let it cool completely before taking it out of the pan and cutting. Enjoy!
