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Last updated on August 18th, 2022 at 08:15 pm
I really don’t want to tell you what to do, but you need to make these amazing healthy apple crumble bars, especially if you have some apples around the house. Don’t let them just sit on the counter, make this easy apple dessert this fall or during any other season!
These apple crumble bars are made with almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and apples. Just simple healthy ingredients you can easily find at the store or already have at home.
You can enjoy these healthy bars heated up with some ice cream for dessert, or have them on their own for a quick and tasty breakfast in the morning.
For me, it’s the third day in a row that I’m eating these and I’m just…really sad, because I only have one piece left, I’m kinda freaking out. What is my life going to be after?…Seriously, I’ve got 99 (privileged) problems and this is one of them.
So let’s get into it. Let’s ask the obvious question:
What Are Apple Crumble Bars?
Well, these apple crumble bars are quite like apple crumble that you can hold in your hands and eat while walking or just standing there without a plate in your hand or a sink to eat over. The bottom is a crumble – very much like shortbread, the top is crumble, the middle is apples with cinnamon and coconut oil.
It’s a delicious homemade apple dessert, but healthier. These bars aren’t overly sweet, so you can have them for breakfast too!
Only Healthy Ingredients For These Apple Crumble Bars
- Almond flour. Use blanched almond flour to make the crust and the crumbly top.
- Coconut oil. I used extra virgin coconut oil to help keep the crust together and to make the crumble actually buttery and crumbly.
- Apples. Choose sweet medium-sized apples, whichever variety you enjoy is okay.
- Cinnamon and maple syrup. To add spice and sweetness to the recipe.
- Nuts. Usually, I’d go for pecans or walnuts, but I didn’t have any at home, so I used almonds to add on top, whole or roughly chopped nuts add a really nice crunch to the whole thing.
How To Make Healthy Apple Crumble Bars
Start by preheating your oven to 180C/350F. This is how you beat procrastination, right? Start small.
Then wash, core and chop the apples. I’m not very strict about how I chop my apples, I just do them in cubes or whatever shape I can. You can do slices, to me it all tastes the same and that’s the most important thing. So, you do you here.
Take the chopped apples and add them to a nonstick pan with coconut oil and cinnamon. Stir at medium-high for a minute or until the apples are coated. Then add a little bit of water, cover with the lid, reduce the heat and let the apples cook to soften for about 3 minutes.
Use that time to make the crumble by mixing the almond flour, coconut oil and maple syrup together. Spread 3/4 of the mixture in a small baking pan, lined with parchment paper (makes getting the bars out really easy!). Make sure to really press the “dough” to the bottom. I used a spoon for this and to even it out, but clean hands will work as well.
Now, it’s time to prepare the crumble for the top by adding some roughly chopped almonds, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and maple syrup to the leftover crumble. Mix very well.
Spread the apples over the base, then form the crumbles between your fingers and spread them over the apple layer. Bake for about 15 minutes, keeping an eye on the oven after about 10 minutes. You don’t want to get these apple bars too brown. It depends on your oven, so make sure to keep an eye on the bars.
Take out, let cool off, slice and enjoy!
How Are These Apple Crumble Bars Healthier
So, I made these healthier apple bars, because I was really craving an apple dessert that doesn’t have such a high glycemic index and won’t send my blood sugar on a roller coaster. That’s why I also chose almond flour and not oats this time because I’m really trying to just limit the overall glycemic load of my daily diet.
Other than almond flour the recipe is loaded with other healthier foods like coconut oil, maple syrup (even though it’s still sugar, we’re using it sparingly), cinnamon and apples.
With ingredients like these, this apple recipe is more nutrient-dense, it’s richer in fiber, healthy fats and essential vitamins and minerals and it won’t cause huge blood sugar spikes as the regular recipe that is made with sugar and white flour.
Also, if you have a sensitivity to gluten, dairy, eggs or don’t eat animal products, this recipe is vegan and paleo, so it could be a good choice for you.
Now, I’m not going to claim you can eat these healthy apple pie bars and stop eating salad or fresh vegetables…mkay? Healthier doesn’t mean you eat an unlimited amount of something and you don’t gain weight or don’t have other health consequences from this action. It just means that in the long run, it’s better for you to have a dessert or breakfast like this instead of candy or doughnuts for example.
How To Store These Apple Crumble Bars
Speaking of, if you make these apple crumble bars and don’t share with more than one person, you’ll probably have some leftovers for the next 1-2 days. Place those leftovers in an airtight container and transport them to a cooler place. Like the fridge. Store in there until you decide it’s time to eat.
Make Ahead For More Than One Hungry Person
The recipe doesn’t make a lot, especially if you have a bigger household, so be sure to adjust it to your needs. However many people, however many days you’d like these healthy apple crumble bars to last. Then put them in the fridge and you’re done.
Options & Substitutions
Don’t get me wrong, this recipe is perfect the way it is, much like you and I.
But you can still play around and change things you don’t have, like or can’t have. For example, if you can’t have almonds, use oats for the base – you can find my favorite way to make apple crumble with oats here. The recipe is pretty similar, you can just make it into bars, if you’d like.
Another change you can make is using another fruit. I’m gonna be honest, I will probably use this same recipe and make similar bars with peaches next (it’s here). You can also use berries, plums (I also have an oatmeal plum crumble pie here), cherries or pears – whatever you desire.
What else? Maple syrup – you can switch that one too, if you don’t have it. I can’t tell you how expensive and hard it is to find maple syrup over here. You can use honey (not vegan), coconut sugar or coconut blossom nectar if you want.
As I mentioned, I’d like to try this recipe with walnuts or pecans next, so that would count as a change. Another thing you can do is add some vanilla or nutmeg.
How To Serve These Healthy Apple Crumble Bars
You can serve them like revenge, cold, but if you do have time and maybe some ice cream – warm these up in the oven. Then top with a scoop of ice cream and enjoy.
You can also drizzle some almond butter or whatever you enjoy – if you have any other serving ideas, let me know.
I tried really hard to come up with something, but almond butter was the only thing, okay, don’t point and laugh. Now, let’s write down the recipe.
I hope you enjoy these healthy apple crumble bars, and if you’re looking for some other healthier apple desserts, check out the recipes below.
More Healthy Apple Desserts
- Healthy Apple Crumble Pie
- Breakfast Oatmeal Apple Cake
- Easy Apple Oatmeal Muffins