Easy Apple Pie Bars With Almond Butter Crust
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Well, I’m in love. These Easy Apple Pie Bars With Almond Butter Crust are sweet and tart, with the comforting spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. The almond butter crust has a subtle background flavor and provides a solid, cookie-like texture and structure to the Apple Pie Bars.
Not only that, these Apple Pie Bars are vegan, very low in sugar, and ready in just 30 minutes!
In the rivalry between pumpkin lovers and apple lovers that presents itself each fall, I am definitely on Team Apple. (But, shhhhh…I’m also very down for a pumpkin dessert. 😉 )
Because I love apple desserts so much, I have been dreaming up this recipe for a while and have been so excited to bring it to life.
I wanted to capture the bursts of sweetness and tartness of apples along with the coziness and warmth that cinnamon and nutmeg bring to the table. The Apple Pie Bars were to be easy to pick up with your hands, so they could function like a snack. I also wanted them to contain minimal added sugar, so that I would feel comfortable with my toddler eating them and for my family to be able to eat them as a snack (or even breakfast!).
Why You’ll Love These Easy Apple Pie Bars
Delicious. They taste like apple pie, cinnamon, and everything nice.
Great for a holiday party. They make a beautiful and tasty treat to bring to or serve at a holiday party. I made them for Thanksgiving last year and they were a hit!
Toddler-friendly. Our toddler simply loves them and because there are only 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in them, I feel okay with him devouring them!
Quick. These only take 30 minutes to make!
I like these Apple Pie Bars so much that when I was about to eat the last Apple Pie Bar, my husband, Drew, commented, “Wait, I’ve only had one!”…It was me. I ate them all. Minus the two I shared with my toddler. When I write this out, yes, I do feel kind of bad.
Easy Apple Pie Bar Ingredients
Almond Butter Crust
Almond butter (creamy and salted)
Whole wheat flour
Coconut oil
Vanilla
Maple syrup
Almond milk
Apple Pie Filling
Unsweetened applesauce
Apples (be sure to use a sweet apple! I used Jazz Apples)
Spices: cinnamon and nutmeg
Lemon
Cornstarch
Salt
How to Make Easy Apple Pie Bars With Almond Butter Crust
STEP 1
In a large bowl, mix all of the almond butter crust ingredients together so that it forms a dough and shape it into a ball. If the dough seems too dry, add another teaspoon of almond milk. Lay the ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper and begin spreading it out with your fingers. Next, place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to help roll out the dough further so it’s about ½ an inch thick. Transfer the bottom piece of parchment paper and the rolled-out dough to an 8×8 baking dish. Then, push all the corners down so it sits evenly. Bake the crust in the oven for 15 minutes, until the crust is mostly firm.
STEP 2
While the crust is cooking, prepare the apple pie filling by combining all of the apple pie filling ingredients together in a large bowl.
STEP 3
Once the crust is cooked, pour the apple pie filling on top of it and spread the mixture out evenly. Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Healthy Apple Pie Bar Ingredient Substitutions
Almond butter: You can use any nut butter you’d like for this recipe or sunflower butter if needed to accommodate a nut allergy.
Whole wheat flour: You can use regular flour if you don’t have whole wheat flour on hand! I have not tried making this recipe with flour alternatives like almond flour or coconut flour, so I am not sure how the crust would hold up using these types of flour and therefore, would not recommend using them.
Coconut oil: You can use a similar cooking oil instead, such as avocado oil or canola oil.
Maple syrup: You can replace the maple syrup with honey, agave syrup, or molasses at a 1:1 ratio.
Almond milk: You can use any plant-based milk or regular milk.
Apples: I use Jazz Apples, but you can use any sweet apple for this recipe!
Cornstarch: You can replace cornstarch with arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, or regular flour.
How to Store Leftover Vegan Apple Pie Bars
Store leftover Apple Pie Bars in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Tasty Fall Treats!
Easy Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Healthy Banana Zucchini Bread (Gluten-Free)
If you tried this Easy Apple Pie Bar recipe or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Easy Apple Pie Bars With Almond Butter Crust
Ingredients
Almond Butter Crust
- ¾ cup almond butter, (creamy and salted)
- Sprinkle of sea salt
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons plain unsweetened almond milk
Apple Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 3 cups diced apples, (I used 3 Jazz apples)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large bowl, mix all of the almond butter crust ingredients together so that it forms a dough and shape it into a ball. If the dough seems too dry, add another teaspoon of almond milk.
- Lay ball of dough on a piece of parchment paper and begin spreading it out with your fingers.
- Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and use a rolling pin to help roll out the dough further so it’s about ½ an inch thick.
- Transfer the bottom piece of parchment paper and the rolled out dough to an 8×8 baking dish. Push all the corners down so it sits evenly.
- Bake crust in the oven for 15 minutes, until the crust is mostly firm.
- While the crust is cooking, prepare the apple pie filling by combining all of the apple pie filling ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Once the crust is cooked, pour the apple pie filling on top of it and spread the mixture out evenly.
- Bake in the oven for another 10 minutes.