Hot apple crumble.
Packed into a delicious bar.
These soft, buttery bars are one of my “no fail” recipes guaranteed to quickly disappear at parties. In the past, I’ve done raspberry, mixed berry, and cherry pie versions. But the apple-crumble version, made for last night’s Halloween party, might just be the best flavor yet.
I’d thought about bringing my Healthy Chocolate-Chip Cookies.
They’re always a big hit at parties, too. But I wanted to make something festive, and I’d gone crazy at Whole Foods the other day, when organic Pink Lady apples were on sale. Somehow, apple-chocolate-chip cookies just didn’t sound very good. (Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever tried the chocolate-apple combination. Why is that? Why do we have chocolate-covered strawberries and chocolate-raspberry truffles, yet no one seems to do anything with chocolate apples? This might be worth looking into…)
Apple Crumble Bars
(Can be gluten-free!)
Inspired by these.
- 1.5 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (or white flour, spelt, or oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (see notes below, for lower-sugar option)
- 1 stevia packet (or add another T brown sugar)
- 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup plus 3 T cold vegan butter (See calorie link below, for fat-free option. And I know a few readers have successfully made this with coconut oil.)
- 2 T nondairy milk of choice
- 2 cups peeled, chopped apple (8oz)
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 3 T maple syrup (or agave)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Stir together the first eight ingredients, making sure to break the butter up really well so that little crumbs form. Scoop 2/3 of the dough into a 4×7, oiled glass dish (or any small pan), and press down firmly. In a separate bowl, stir together the other ingredients. Layer them into the pan, then top with the rest of the dough from the first pan and press down a bit. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 F, then cool at least 30 minutes before cutting into bars. Store uncovered, unless you want a soft crust (in which case, you should cover completely with saran wrap).
See the following post for the Calorie Information.
Due to the fact that I was making these for someone accustomed to “regular” desserts, I used more sugar than I normally would (but still less than most recipes call for). If you want a subtly-sweet bar, you can scale back the sugar or try more stevia.
Question of the Day:
What kinds of apples do you like best?
Pink Lady apples are definitely my favorites. But I usually like Fujis and Galas, too. And Granny Smiths, but only when they’re cold. Red Delicious apples are my least-favorites; I always seem to get mushy ones.
How I plan to use my leftover apples:
Making single-serving Apple Pie Pancakes.
And then I’ll probably just eat the rest plain. Or maybe I need to experiment and come up with a healthy caramel-apple recipe…
{ 105 comments… read them below or add one }
I can assure you, the chocolate apple combination IS good! especially if it’s a chocolate spread…delicious!
The first picture made me want to reach into the screen and grab the bar out of it! Beautiful job, Katie! (I don’t eat apples much so I don’t have a preference for any, but I do prefer the small redder ones!)
I tried the apple-chocolate combination in a ‘cinnamon roll’ once and it was good!!
These look SO GOOD!! Crumble is so good! When I was a kid I used to just pick off all the crumble and eat that! Not that I still do that sometimes or anything
And definitely Pink Lady apples!! Or HONEYCRISP!! They are so delicious!!
Beautiful picture. I’m impressed that your bars cut and stayed together so nicely!
I’ve had the chocolate apple combination in an edible arrangement before and it IS delicious!! You could definitely do a spin off of that for those apple pancakes.
I too like Pink Lady apples but right now my favourite is Ambrosia–not too sweet and super crisp. I hear you on the mushy–mushy apples are the worst! they don’t even cook well. I am trying these bars for sure! thanks so much!!
Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet another Pink Lady lover! No one I know seems to have heard of them, which is a shame because they are so crisp and not too sweet and amazing unpeeled
These look amazing, Katie!!! Of course, no surprise there!
I also love how you’re going to use up the leftover apples – I’ve made your apple pancakes two or three times, once for dinner! Yum, yum
My favorite apples are honeycrisps!! I’ve been eating at least one a day lately
<3 <3
Oooooh,these look SO good! I really have to try them,soon!
But sometimes,I just HAVE to eat one and OF COURSE,my favorite kind of apple is the Pink Lady! 
I hate Gala apples though,they are so… sweet. But in a negative way. Ugh.
Sadly,I cannot tolarate raw apples so good (with baked ones,it’s a different story!) – they always make my stomach ache
Oh man, chocolate and apples can be a great combination!
My favourite thing is Honeycrisp apples, made kind of like a caramel apple. Instead of dipping them in caramel, though, you dip them in tempered dark chocolate, then quickly roll them in a mixture of oats and almonds (toasted lightly in a dry skillet, then pulsed in a food processor until uniform in size) before the chocolate sets up. Sometimes I throw little star confetti sprinkles into oat/almond mix. Yum!
It’s all about the Honeycrisp apples, which of course have a growing season of about 5 minutes. The ones at whole foods have been huge and delicious all season.
These look great! I will definitely give them a go. I wonder how they would turn out with a graham cracker crust type thing on the bottom… We will see!
I get my apples locally from a small family-owned orchard. They are the absolute best, nice and tart and sweet. When I am forced to buy them from the store, I am always disappointed. They just don’t compare!
KATIE!! OH MY GOSH… love the texture of these babies!
I gotta say i love pink lady apples, but iv heard honeycrips are bomb– so when i can get my hands on one/ when europe decides to import them, then i shall try em!
Pink Ladies are BY FAR my favorite!! They are like candy to me! I haven’t been able to find them in the stores for the past several weeks they seem to have been replaced by Honey crisps which are my new second favorite … they have a wonderful texture!
These look awesome. What did you dress up as for the party you went to?
My favorite apples are gala but i also love fuji. Delicious!
“My Inner Child”
It’s all I could think of!
I’ll hopefully post photos tomorrow
Haha, that’s a great idea! I’m sure we all look forward to pictures.
I just found your blog and I’m so happy I did! These apple crumble bars looks so good. I love how you take indulgent recipes and health-ify them just a bit, without compromising flavor!
Can’t wait to read more.
Aww I’m so glad you found me… and lol I love your blog title!
you’ve never had chocolate dipped apples?!? they’re the best! there’s a store called “Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory” that pretty much specializes in chocolate dipped apples. they have a bunch of different seasonal “flavors” – i think you’d be obsessed (lol)!
check it out – a healthy(er) vegan version would be awesome: https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/productList
they’re also all about chocolate dipped apples on food network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/chocolate-dipped-apples-recipe/index.html (paula deen – hehe)
Chocolate apple is a great combo! These look fabfab though! Can’t wait to try
Personally I’d rather have caramel with apples than chocolate. HoneyCrisp and Ambrosia apples are THE best. Pink Lady after that. Never Red Delicious for eating – those are great to make applesauce with, always mush.
THAT LOOKS AMAZING o_o
Too bad I haven’t felt like baking nowadays :\ and that I also have no apples in my house…
http://thepolaroidpictures.blogspot.com
These look incredible! This just confirmed my desire to go apple-picking before it gets too cold…
Does ANYONE like Red Delicious apples?!
My favorite is the Honeycrisp. =)
My mom insisted on buying red delicious (gag) for a long time, because she is a creature of habit and an old dog and all that. I finally made her try a Honeycrisp recently and she’s a total convert.
These look incredible.
My favourite apples are Pink Ladys too, but I rarely get them as they are terribly expensive. I usually have Royal Gala, and Granny Smith occasionally (I only eat them cold too!).
They certainly DO have chocolate apple combinations! Haven’t you had a dark chocolate caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory?? SOOOO good! https://rockymountainchocolatefactory.com/rmcf/control/productList?category=CARAMEL%20APPLES&menuStartPixel=0px&categoryId=1638693433
this would also be a great treat to try for next halloween! So cute!
http://www.amysgourmetapples.com/gourmet-apples/seasonal-caramel-apples/dunked-mummy-caramel-apple-w-white-belgian-chocolate.html
Oh my golly, these look good. And I totally back the idea of playing with chocolate/apple combos. Both things are good with cinnamon, so I bet some combination of that would be good.
As for apples, fujis and pink ladies tie for faves, although if you can get your hands on a good, crisp red delicious, I do think they can be sublime:)
I just had chocolate apple oatmeal this morning! I dice up a little granny smith apple into my oatmeal every morning (just throw it in there with the oats and water and cook an extra minute or so in the microwave, I like the added bulk and texture), and today I wanted to make chocolate oatmeal. I had to pause to consider whether the combination would work, and then shrugged internally, figuring it’d still be edible at worst. Very tasty, especially with some red raspberry preserves on top, too.
My favorite apple is the SweeTango, some wacky new species I just discovered this season, or the similar (and easier to find) Honeycrisp. It must be crisp and tart and juicy, whatever breed it is!
Hi apple crumble bars…get in my mouth!
I actually did have chocolate covered apples in a fruit bouquet thing once. Surprising, but tasty
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In Germany you can buy chocolate covered dried apples in almost every supermarket and those taste really good!
The bars look great. I’ve had fun making baked apple bars this fall too with just about any apple combo…I use whatever was on sale and whatever apples I have on hand…up to a point.
I agree, Red Delicious apples are my least-favorites; and Gala & Fujis top my list of ones I like because they are crisp. I hate mushy apples!
yum! I’ll be making these:) My favorite kind of apple would probably be honey crisp or pink lady. Both so good!
Pink Lady apples are definitely the best. Have you ever been to the Reading Terminal Market in Philly? There’s a vendor there who sells loads of produce for way cheap; My sis and I would always load up on Pink Ladies from there.
I’ve heard Honeycrisp are really good, but I’ve never tried one. Gotta wait until I’m back stateside for that!
Oh I have! I used to go there all the time when I was at Bryn Mawr. I miss Philly
Fabulous recipe! My favorite apples as of late have been Cortland and Jonagold fresh from the local farmer’s market.
Mmmmm, apples!! I love Braeburns best and I grate one into my bowl of oats every morning and top it off with cinnamon- i have a bit of a cinnamon addiction going on at the moment! I know what you mean about mushy apples (I always have to press the apples when i buy them to check) ‘mashed potato’ apple (as i call it) is just wrong!
Liberty or Jonathon’s for eating and Jonagold for baking. We have a nice organic place we pick them at as a family. In fact, I didn’t bake at ALL with the apples this year…out of two half-bushels! We ATE them all fresh!
These look fantabulous! Our favorite apples are Honeycrisps, with Pink Ladies as a close second.Gonna be cooking class for my 9 year old son tomorrow… Thanx!
Pink Ladys are the ABSOLUTE BEST apples! I absolutely love them! If those are not available, I like Jazz, Fuji, or Honeycrisp. I also only like apples cold… Your bars look cinnamon-y and delicious! I agree with you about Red Delicious- which is ironically what restaurants and stores always carry. Maybe most people (besides foodies) are not particular about their apples?
Pink Lady’s are my fav apple too – such an amazing flavour (I only discovered these once I moved to Australia, as they don’t grow in New Zealand) Wow, these bars looks so delicious, I’m totally going to give these a whirl
I just found your blog and although I am not vegan, we eat whole, natural foods, so I am always on the hunt for a good & healthier dessert. I totally agree with your statement that you don’t want people to say “This is good… for a healthy dessert.” I want them to say, “This is good. Period.” My question is about sugar. Have you ever tried any recipe’s with sucanat, and if so, would you grind it first since the crystals are bigger than processed brown sugar? I can’t wait to try your recipe’s!!
Aww I’m so glad you found me! And it’s so funny you’d mention Sucanat, because I *just* tried it for the first time last week. Now I am hooked! It’s soooo good… I love the gingerbread flavor.
So far I’ve only tried it in one recipe, but I am planning to use it A LOT in the future, so my future recipes (maybe starting in the next few weeks) will definitely include Sucanat.
Those look really yummy. And pink lady apples have to be my favorites.
Also, the commenting thing looks really funny. It looks like I’m you Katie. If the comment looks like myself instead of you then just disregard this.
-Aja from writingandrecovering.wordpress.com
Hi Katie,
Just letting you know that I’m sending you the Versatile Blogger award. I just found and really enjoy your site. I can’t wait to try some recipes!
You can pick up the button, if you’d like to pass it on, at my site.
Aww Kristin, thank you so much! That really means a lot to me.
I’ll definitely check out your site
.
These look amazing and I’m bookmarking to try soon.
My favorite apples are mutsu – I love to use them for baking because they are firm and hold up well like Granny Smith but not as tart.
yesss!! I had everything to make these except the apples, but then my man came home with a MASSIVE box of apples
!! hot apple crumble bars it is 
…also, Pink Ladies are my faves, too
they’re all gone from here for the year, though 
*le sigh*
yum! I love apple desserts, well I just love apples period!
my favorites are Ambrosia.. not all that common in stores I don’t think, but they’re soo good.. juicy and just sweet enough.. kind of like a Honeycrisp, but better! if you ask me anyway
Apples in 1st place: pink lady, 2nd: honeycrisp, 3rd: jonathon
I’ve been waiting for these!
These look so delicious!! I want to try it
Chocolate-covered apples are very good, too. it is like caramel apples, but with chocolate! I had one once at the Chocolate mountain (I think is the store name) and it was a bit too sweet, but still good!
My favorite apples are Honey Crisp!
I love gala apples and jonagolds…anything crisp!
Made these last night for a potluck I’m going to today! Just wondering, what kind of vegan butter did you use in your recipe to get it to 84 calories? Thanks for posting these I’ll let you know how they go!
Hi Gabby,
The recipe to get 85 calories is linked above the nutritional info on that page. It actually doesn’t use any vegan butter at all.
Hope everyone likes them!!
These look amazing! For my birthday, my colleagues sent me a tray of fruit from edible arrangements that included chocolate covered apple slices. They rocked.
I love apples (except red delicious.- they are always mushy and mealy). My top three are honeycrisp, sweet tango, and pink lady.
I have to defend my favorite apple Red delish ( sens no one sems to like it) its relly god, but dont by the mushy ones! they dont taste god! but witch apple is god mushy? I alwas go for the real crispie apples! regardless of witch apple brand!
this recepie comes in very handy because i have left over apples from the garden, and they starting to lose the crisp so they are perfekt to bake with!
These look amazing! My favorite apples are Jazz. A bit similar to Pink Lady apples, but maybe a bit more tart. They are a great blend of tart and sweet in my opinion. I love to eat them cold too
If you are even considering making these bars…DO IT! I made these bars yesterday with a mix of Granny Smith and Fuji apples (I doubled the recipe, used a 9×13 pan, and used 1/2 ww pastry flour and 1/2 ap flour, I also opted for the brown sugar instead of Stevia) and they were such a hit that sadly, there are no bars this morning. You will be so delighted and so will those who gobble these up if you make them. Pronto!
I HATE mushy apples. And Red Delicious in general. Honeycrisp are my favorite lately.
These look awesome! I promised the bf I’d bake if he drove me to the airport at an ungodly hour this week. Perhaps this is the ticket to a happy boy!
Hey, your blog is the cutest!
I have tried to microwave 70 % chocolate bits so it gets wet like a butter and then cut an apple in half and butter it on the apple and let it dry in the fridge.
It is so delicious, and a chocoholic like you should try it.
I would recommend to put either tiniest bit of cinnamon or ginger( or both!) on the apple before applying chocolate.
Pink lady’s are my absolute favorite apples! I can NEVER find them in the store though, why is that? Luckily honey crisp are right up there with the pink lady’s. I think apples and chocolate is soo good
I LOVE pink lady apples, but honeycrisp have stole me heart…:)
i made this tuesday and my family LOVED it. the only changes i made was playing with the flour- i had buckwheat, brown rice and spelt that i needed to use up so i mixed all those, and i used coconut flour instead of butter. DELICIOUS! thanks for your great recipes!
I made this last night and subbed out the flour for almond meal. It came out delish! I came home today after classes to find only a small square left as my partner ate the rest of it. I plan on trying this out with pumpkin next
Oh wow, pumpkin sounds genius!
I’m hoping it turns out well, though I can’t decide between pureed pumpkin or roasted pumpkin chunks. Decisions, decisions.
I was thinking about trying this with some soaked dates instead of the brown sugar. (I’m trying to go light on sugar these days). Think it would work? I’d reduce the liquid in general, and maybe some of the oil/butter too.
I’d love to hear about your experiment if you do try it!
I tried it! The flavor was great but I think I might have to work on the proportions. I used maybe a half a cup of soaked dates + coconut oil + one packet of stevia. The crust came out a little hard, but it tasted great. I might add a little more liquid to the apples next time, or maybe cook them a bit on the stove in advance. But I think the substitution of dates for brown sugar could definitely be perfected.
CARAMEL Apples?! YES PLEASE!!!
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Honeycrisp in the US, Jonagold in Japan. Fuji is okay, too.
I think I lost my bread pan in the move, so I used a larger pan than called for and definitely need to try making this again correctly. (Tasted great but didn’t quite spread out right.) I used (non-vegan) yogurt in place of butter/butter substitute because I didn’t have any butter-type thing in the fridge and that worked fine.
Normally after sort of failing to get it right I wouldn’t comment, but I had to ask–for the 85 calories, do you make it into 8 (or 14?) bars like the raspberry version? There wasn’t a serving number on this recipe or the calorie info, so I checked out the original raspberry recipe. Thanks!
14
Thank you!
Can I use agave as a substitute for the brown sugar?
I bet you can, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t tell you about the liquid ratio
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I just subbed agave in the same measurements you used for the brown sugar and it turned out fabulous!!
Ok, these are positively EVIL!!!! In a good way of course, but I couldn’t stop eating them! My husband really liked them too and he loves things like apple pie, apple crisp etc. He devoured them! Unfortunately so did I so I won’t be making these very often.
Aww Becca, that makes me SO happy!!
So, you could use ONLY gluten free oat flour in here and it would be ok? I wasn’t sure since there would be absolutely NO gluten.. Didn’t know if it would hold together and such…any thoughts? I’m trying to make it gluten free.
I’d recommend using a gf mix, such as Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s gf mix. If you used all coconut flour, for example, it’d be crumbly. Another thought is to use a blend of different gf flours and add a little xantham gum, but I’ve never tried it and don’t know the proportions. To be safe, I’d try and find a premade mix.
Thanks for a fantastic recipe! This is delicious served warm or cold… tastes almost like an apple pie!
Katie-These were absolutely delish! Thank you so much for the recipe! My entire family enjoyed the tasty sweet (but not too sweet) treat.
Hey – just wondering – how many servings do these make? it’s not specified and i would love to know! thank you!!
It makes an 8×8 pan, so you can cut them into however many you want… it depends on if you want bigger squares or little ones
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Very delicious! I am new to veganism, and this recipe really hit the spot. Even my parents loved it, and they’re always making fun of my cooking endeavors. Thank you!
When I used to work at Edible Arrangements they’d let us eat some of the fruit and chocolate covered granny smith apples are DELICIOUS! Sweet and tangy.
I really LOVE the idea of these bars but the only thing holding me back is the butter. Id like to leave it out or sub butter for more apple sauce. What do you think? I say your raspberry cobbler bars have no butter but I want apple and a bar that looks soft like the apple ones not crumbly or scone-ish like the raspberry cobbler bars.
Sorry, I haven’t tried it with anything else. Some commenters say coconut oil works, though.
Can it be made with almond or coconut flower
Sorry, I don’t know.
These were delicious, Katie! My coworkers gobbled them up very quickly. I’ve linked back to your blog here:
http://evabakes.blogspot.com/2012/01/hot-apple-crumble-bars.html
I just made these today, but instead of cutting into bars, I made it as a pie. My family loved it! My grandpa, who initially turned down the huge portion I dished out to him, finished the slice (with whipped cream!) in record time!
I had to change up the recipe a bit… Since I was fresh out of brown sugar, I substituted some more white sugar + a tbs of honey. Delicious! I also drizzled a little caramel sauce on the pie before baking… Yum!
Oh wow, I love your idea!
Ah, hindsight… In writing down the instructions by hand I see I dropped the “1″ from “1 1/2 C flour”… That explains a lot. Heh, well it’s in the oven now, let’s see what happens.
This blog is AMAZING! Almost all of these recipes have ingredients found in my household! I just started a vegan diet and was worried about how bland and difficult my life would become, then I found this blog and I am so excited to try all of these recipes!! I am about to start out with this recipe as my first try. The only thing I am missing is vegan butter, is there any other substitution you know of besides coconut oil?
Thank you for being so… Awesome!!
Thank you so much for such a sweet comment. Maybe another type of oil will work, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t vouch for the results. Many regular grocery stores do carry Earth Balance, so it’s worth looking if you haven’t already.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to have found you!! I started eating vegan after I had my son last fall as he is dairy and egg intolerant so I’m having to relearn how to eat after 27 years. Up until now I’ve been living on veggie hummus wraps for all meals the last 6 months…so you are my saving grace! I made these last night and even my crazy picky husband loved them. I did use all agave instead of any sugar and they are seriously fabulous….i also drizzled a little melted chocolate over top bc you know chocolate is totally essential. Although the biggest hit so far has been the deep dish cookie…oh if you could have seen his jaw drop when I said it was chick pea based! Priceless! You totally rock!!
aw that made me smile
So glad they turned out well!
I made these tonight with coconut oil, 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, and 5 packets of Stevia. I used 1/3 each whole wheat, white, and oat flour, and a little roasted coconut. They were fantastic, everyone I had over had seconds. This is my favourite recipe of yours after the chick pea blondies. Keep them coming, you are awesome!
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