Apple Crumble Bars

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Apple Crumble Bars is a delicious fall inspired dessert that combines fresh apples, oats, and cinnamon for a tasty crumbly bite. It is delicious and cooks up in less than 30 minutes!

Seriously though, nothing beats autumn flavors. Ingredients like pumpkin, cinnamon, maple and apple are the best flavors to incorporate into your cooking and baking this time of the year.

I know that if I am not careful, then I can definitely find myself going overboard indulging in treats this time of year. It takes some seriously strong willpower not to try pumpkin everything, including a pumpkin flavored iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts every day.

In an effort to try to live a healthier lifestyle, I signed up a few weeks ago to work with a virtual trainer for accountability and to get stronger. With doing that, I am working out 5 days a week, lifting weights, and logging everything that I eat to see where I can make small changes. 

The working out has taken some getting used to and I have to admit that I find myself sore more days than I would like to be. I was a total cardio head…running was my jam…I avoided the gym like the plague because I loved the idea of lacing up my running shoes and getting out in nature. It was my time to zone out and just be at peace. Doing this I found that my legs got strong, endurance became longer, and my mental health more secure. The downside is that I wasn’t building the muscle that my body needed to make me look more toned.

But enough about that because this blog is all about food and in working with the trainer, I am learning that I can still indulge in the foods that I love and eat even more food if I make healthier swaps where I can. I am also finding creative ways to have sweet treats that utilize pumpkin, cinnamon, maple and apple in a healthier way. So today, I’ve decided to use cinnamon and apple to make a batch of apple crumble bars. These bars have less sugar, more fiber, and a good dose of fat making one serving approximately 141 calories. They are also delicious and so easy to make. Be sure to try them!

What ingredients are needed to make this apple crumble bar recipe?

1. Old-fashioned oats
2. All-purpose flour
3. Brown sugar
4. Baking powder 
5. Ground cinnamon 
6. Salt 
7. Coconut oil 
8. Egg
9. Apples 
10. Vanilla extract 
11. Ground nutmeg
12. Lemon juice 
13. Water 
14. Maple syrup 
15. Chia seeds 

How to make apple crumble squares:

Begin the recipe by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Using a food processor, pulse together the old fashioned oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, salt, egg, and coconut oil until it forms a crumbly but sticky mixture.

Set aside 1/3 of the mixture to use for the topping. Add the rest of the mixture into the prepared parchment-lined baking pan and press evenly into the bottom of the pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the diced apples, vanilla extract, lemon juice, ground nutmeg, water, and maple syrup until heated and the sauce is warm. Stir the chia seeds into the apple mixture and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the crust mixture in the baking dish and spread in an even layer. 

Sprinkle the reserved 1/3 topping that you set aside on top of the apple mixture evenly.

Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool in the baking dish for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice into bars and serve. 

Want a few more fall inspired desserts? Try these:

• Apple Dump Cake 
• Apple Dumplings 
• Pumpkin Spice Doughnuts 
• Pumpkin Cheesecake 

Have any comments, questions, or other ideas for these easy to make Apple Crumble Bars? Please share them in the comments below!