These Healthy Apple Crumble Bars are made with just 10 simple ingredients and use only one bowl! They're naturally sweetened, gluten-free and vegan too!
this recipe
What do you get when you combine apple pie and granola bars? An amazing breakfast/dessert that tastes like a decadent sweet treat but is actually healthy.
Yep, you heard it here first. These apple crumble bars are not only tasty but actually good for you!
Why? Because they're made with whole grains, nuts, natural sweeteners, andrealfruit. Nothing artificial here, just pure, clean deliciousness.
The Perfect Crumble Topping
You might recognize this base from my healthy raspberry oatmeal bars, but it really does make the perfect crumble. Unlike traditional crumble toppings, you don't need butterand you need very little sugar for this version. Yet you're left with those glorious crunchy clusters that can easily put other crumbles to shame.
The best part of all? Our crumble topping is also our base!
So you just need one bowl to make this entire recipe (which I personally think is a major win when it comes to baking) and 10 ingredients!
GF & Vegan Apple Crumble Bars
Once we've got our base/topping done, we can move onto the apples!
Similar to an apple pie or crisp, you want to quickly toss your appleswith some cinnamon, a sweetener (in this case maple syrup), and a touch of starch. The starch is optional, but it helps make everything a little more gooey and soft.
To make this dessert gluten-free and vegan, we're using a blend of quick cooking oats (make sure they're GF!), almond flour and quinoa flour, then tossing in a flax egg instead of a chicken egg. I personally love the combo of these ingredients and you'll see them in a lot of my baked goods because all three not only add great texture, but we also get amazing nutrients.
These are bars are high in:
I'd say definitely better than most other dessert recipes you see!
Next time, rather than slaving away at an apple pie, whip up a batch of these healthy apple crumble bars. They'll satisfy that sweet, apple craving, but they're far easier to make, take way less time and are healthier!
They're a triple whammy ????and they're pretty much the best fall dessert/breakfast on the planet. You def need them in your life!
More Healthy Apple Dessert Recipes:
- Spiralized Apple Tart
- Apple Pie Energy Bites
- Slow Cooker Quinoa Apple Crisp
Healthy Apple Crumble Bars
These are the perfect Healthy Apple Crumble Bars! They're made with just 10 simple ingredients and are also gluten-free & naturally sweetened!
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 40 minutes minutes
Total: 50 minutes minutes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8X8 baking dish with parchment and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix in the syrup and coconut oil and crumble with your hands until it resembles a coarse, sandy texture. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough for the topping.
Add the flax egg to the bowl and stir to form a sticky dough. Transfer the dough to the baking pan and press it evenly with your fingers or a flat-bottomed glass.
Toss all the apple ingredients together until combined and pour on top of the base. Spread out evenly with a spatula.Crumble the reserved oat topping over the jam.
Bake in the center of the oven for 40 - 45 minutes until the oats are golden brown. Check after 30 and cover with foil if the topping is getting too brown. Remove and cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge and cool completely. Slice into squares and serve!
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.6mg
cuisine: American
course: Dessert
★★★★★
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Filed Under:
- Breakfast
- Dairy Free
- Dessert
- Gluten-Free
- Oven
- Recipes
- Vegan
FAQs
Refrigerate the topping while prepping the apples, this helps keep it from melting and keeps it crumbly. Use firm apples so they don't lose their shape and become mushy while baking. Check the apples early, overbaking can cause mushy apples. Adding nuts or granola makes the crumble extra crunchy.
What's the difference between apple crumble and apple crisp? ›
Apple Crumble is synonymous with Apple Crisp in the U.K. and Australia, but in Canada and the U.S., it is a slightly different dish. Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts.
Why is apple crumble good for you? ›
The best source of protein, carbs, and lipids is apple crumble. Additionally, this dessert is a great option for weight management because it has a low caloric content. Due to the inclusion of apples, this dessert also contains healthy fats, a good amount of water, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
What is the top of apple crumble made of? ›
Apple crumble recipe topping is typically made of butter, sugar and flour which gets topped on the cooked fruit filling. To add an extra element of texture and flavour, oats, coconut, nuts and cinnamon can be added to the crumble mix.
What is the secret to crunchy crumble? ›
A pastry chef friend shared the technique. Instead of sprinkling the raw crumbs on top of the fruit, where they absorb the juices and turn a little mushy on their undersides, he spread them out in a pan and baked them separately, until crisp and cookielike.
How to stop crumble from going soggy? ›
Use a shallowish dish if you've got a wet fruit mixture, otherwise the crumble will start to dissolve before it's baked.
Why is it called Brown Betty? ›
This has led some historians to believe that Betty was the name of the cook and creator of the recipe and that brown was in reference to her skin color.
Why is my apple crumble topping not crunchy? ›
The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.
What is the difference between crisp and crumble? ›
a crisp? A crumble is just a crisp without oats in the streusel. It may feature nuts, but the streusel topping is usually a simple combination of butter, flour, and sugar that is more clumpy than that of a crisp.
Is apple crumble bad for cholesterol? ›
While many sweat treats like biscuits and cakes can be the very trigger for the fatty substance, apple crumble might be an exception. Dr Michael Mosley has shared that the core ingredient could reduce your bad cholesterol by a whopping 23 percent.
A standard 6 portion apple crumble recipe will call for around 200g of sugar, sometimes more. That's over 30g per person, and 30g is the maximum RDA for sugar. So that's your entire day's sugar allowance in one dessert. And that's not including if you eat it with custard or ice cream.
What culture is apple crumble? ›
Apple crumble is a British pudding similar to the apple crisp that originated during World War II food rationing. The crumble topping is made of butter, flour, and brown sugar rolled together so that it resembles breadcrumbs.
What is apple crumble called in America? ›
Crumbles in varying forms are common in Britain, Ireland, and across the Commonwealth of Nations. While the dish is also found in the US, a similar dessert known as an "apple crisp" bears the same name in American English.
What is the difference between apple cobbler and apple crumble? ›
Cobbler: A fruit dessert made with a top crust of pie dough or biscuit dough but no bottom crust. Crisp/crumble: In Alberta, the terms are mostly interchangeable. Both refer to fruit desserts similar to cobbler but made with a brown sugar streusel topping sometimes containing old-fashioned rolled oats.
Why is my apple crumble bitter? ›
Do you peel and core the apples? Peel sometimes adds bitterness. Yes, everything is peeled and cored.
Why is my crumble not crisping up? ›
The main reason your crumble topping isn't crunchy is probably because you haven't used Demerara sugar. Although, it could also be that you've got your topping ingredient quantities wrong: either too much or not enough flour and butter alongside the sugar.
How to stop apple crumble from going brown? ›
Bake the Apple Crumble - The crumble cooks with foil on top for the first 20 minutes to prevent the topping from browning too much. Then the foil is removed and the crumble finishes cooking until the filling is cooked through and bubbly.
How do you keep apples from getting mushy in apple crisp? ›
Don't cut or slice them into very small/fine pieces. Keep them a bit bigger in size, so while baking they get little mushy and remain firm. It is not you, it is the variety of apple. Use Granny Smith Apples, (the green ones).
How do you keep apples crispy? ›
Store Apples In The Fridge
Once rinsed and dried, your apples simply need a trip to the fridge to maintain maximum crispness for as much as two months, though some may start to brown at six weeks. Leaving them on the counter will only give them a shelf life of a few days.
