It’s fall y’all, and these cinnamon apple crumble bars are the PERFECT way to kick off this cozy and delicious season. This recipe is easy to make and is totally gluten-free, vegan and refined sugar-free.
The cinnamon spice and tender apples fully embody all that is fall, and will fill your home with the most pleasant, warm aroma. I love to enjoy these bars chilled right out of the fridge alongside a hot cup of coffee, and my husband loves them reheated with a scoop of creamy vanilla oat milk ice cream. That’s right – these bars are healthy enough to be breakfast or an afternoon treat, but delicious enough to be the most satisfying dessert.
What do I need to make these Apple Crumble Bars?
These delicious bars come together with just one sauce pan, one metal making pan, and a few plant-based ingredients. To get started, you will need:
- Vegan Butter: Make sure to use sticks, not the spreadable kind.
- Coconut Sugar: Any granulate sugar will work, but I love using this unrefined option.
- Maple Syrup: Look for a high-quality, grade A pure maple syrup
- Vanilla Extract
- Flour: 1:1 Gluten Free All purpose is used in the recipe below, but regular all purpose or oat flour would also work.
- Gluten Free Old Fashioned or Rolled Oats: Not quick or instant oats 🙂
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Apples: Honey Crisp apples are delicious in this recipe, but pink lady or gala would work great too.
- Lemon Juice
- Arrowroot Powder: Cornstarch or tapioca flour would also work in this recipe.
- Pecans
Can I make other crumble bar flavors with the same recipe?
YES! This is my staple crumble bar recipe and the cinnamon apple layer can be replaced with any fruit filling of your choice. I love to use a high-quality raspberry jam, or make a filling from scratch with blueberries, peaches, or blackberries.
Equipment
- 1 Medium Saucepan
- 1 9" x 13" metal baking pan
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, melted
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar, divided
- 3/4 cup grade A maple syrup
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Apple Filling
- 4 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tsp arrowroot powder mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray a 9" x 13" metal baking pan with oil.
- Add the butter, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl and use a fork or hand mixer to combine. Especially with the melted butter, this is totally a recipe you can mix by hand, but feel free to use an electric mixer if you feel so inclined!
- Add in the flour, oats, cinnamon and salt. Use your fork to mix and combine. If the dough is too wet, add additional flour 1 tbsp at a time. It should hold together but be a bit crumbly.
- Set aside 1 1/2 cups of dough. Press remaining dough into the bottom of your prepared baking dish. Use freshly washed hands or a rubber spatula to smooth into an even layer. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, add the apples, butter, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt to a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring frequently, cook for 5-10 minutes until apples are tender and juicy. Create a slurry by mixing the arrowroot powder with water and slowly stirring into the apple mixture until it has thickened.
- Remove the crust from the oven and pour the cinnamon apples on top, using a rubber spatula to spread into an even layer. Use your hands to crumble the remaining dough on top of the apples, and sprinkle with pecans. Return to the oven and bake for 18-20 more minutes until the top is lightly golden.
- Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing. These bars can be enjoyed warm or cool. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.