These apple walnut crumb bars have an almond flour crust and crumble topping paired with a gooey apple filling. This is the perfect small batch crumble - made in a loaf pan and paleo and vegan friendly.
While I have quite a collection of apple recipes, I'm always looking for new and delicious ways to bake with fresh apples. And these apple walnut crumb bars are my newest addition to the site!
They have an almond flour shortbread crust that's topped with a gooey apple filling and then finished with an almond flour and walnut crumble topping. The bars are sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with vanilla and apple pie spice (cinnamon works too).
Why You'll Love these Apple Walnut Bars
- paleo and vegan - made with simple, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about
- gluten free - the crust and crumble is made with almond flour
- refined sugar free - sweetened with maple syrup
- dairy free - no butter or milk
- egg free - none of the layers use eggs to bind the ingredients
- small batch - these apple bars are made in a loaf pan for a smaller serving size, but feel free to double or triple the batch to serve more.
Ingredients
The full recipe for these apple walnut crumb bars can be found in the recipe card below, but here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- almond flour - to make the crust and crumble topping
- tapioca starch - needed for texture purposes for both the crust/crumble and to thicken the apple filling
- baking powder - helps the crust and crumble rise a bit and improves the texture
- salt - used in the crust/crumble to bring out more flavor
- palm shortening - this is a great dairy free swap for butter. You can use butter or coconut oil instead.
- maple syrup - to sweeten all the layers
- vanilla extract - for flavor
- apple pie spice - or cinnamon
- walnuts - chopped walnuts are added to the crumble topping, but you can leave them out or swap them with another type of nut
- apples - I used Honeycrisp apples but Pink Lady or Granny Smith would work well too.
- coconut oil - for the filling
- lemon juice - just a little for flavor. You can leave this ingredient out if you don't have any lemons on hand.
How to Make Apple Crumb Bars
For these apple bars, you'll first want to make the apple filling. It needs to cook on the stovetop before you bake the bars. So while it's cooking, you can make the crust and crumble. Once everything is ready, assemble the bars and then bake them in the oven.
Here are the step by step instructions:
- First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Make the Apple Filling
- Thinly slice the apples and cut into about ½" pieces.
- Place the cut apples in a large mixing bowl and combine with the coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon, vanilla, tapioca starch and apple pie spice. Mix until well coated.
- Place the apples on a large frying pan and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Stir frequently so that the mixture doesn't burn.
Make the Crust and Crumble Topping
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt. Mix, then add in the shortening, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix first with a spatula, then use your hands to combine the dough.
- Separate the dough into two pieces, ⅔ of the dough and ⅓ of the dough. The ⅔ will be for the crust and the ⅓ for the topping.
- Combine the last ⅓ of the dough with the chopped walnuts.
Assemble the Bars and Bake
- Firmly press the crust dough into your lined loaf pan.
- Pour the apple filling over the crust and smooth it out in an even, level layer. Then crumble the topping over the filling. Lightly press it down with your hands.
- Place the bars in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- After baking, remove the bars from the oven and cool them to room temperature in their baking dish.
Tips and Tricks
- Thinly slice the apples - small apple pieces will give you the best filling texture.
- Cook apples before baking - cooking the apples on a frying pan before baking them will make the filling softer and give it a better texture.
- Cool completely - the bars are best chilled in the fridge overnight if you want them to cut easily. However, if you're serving them warm and just want to spoon them out of the pan, then don't worry about chilling them.
Storage
Keep these apple crumble bars covered in their baking pan, or transfer them to a sealed glass container and store in the fridge. They are best eaten within 5 days, after that they start to lose some of their texture.
FAQ
Yes, any apple variety will work, but I recommend Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith for flavor purposes.
Butter is the best swap for shortening. You can use coconut oil, but it will make the crust/crumble topping more crumbly.
More Baked Apple Recipes
Looking for more paleo recipes using fresh apples? Try these:
Apple Walnut Crumb Bars (Paleo, Vegan)
Description
These apple walnut bars have an almond flour crust and crumble topping and a gooey apple filling. They're paleo and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
Filling
- 3 cups thinly cut apples (about 350g)*
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ Tbsp tapioca starch
- ½ tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
Crust and Crumble Topping
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour (140g)
- ½ cup tapioca starch (62g)
- 1 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup palm shortening, room temp (63g) or butter
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- For the Filling: Thinly slice the apples and cut into about ½" pieces (remove the core, but no need to peel the skin).
- Place the cut apples in a large mixing bowl and combine with the coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon, vanilla, tapioca starch and apple pie spice.
- Place the apples on a large frying pan and cook on medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Stir frequently so that the mixture doesn't burn. The apple filling is done when the apples are soft and the mixture has thickened.
- For the Crust and Crumble Topping: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, apple pie spice and salt. Mix, then add in the shortening, maple syrup and vanilla. Mix first with a spatula, then use your hands to combine the dough.
- Separate the dough into two pieces, ⅔ of the dough and ⅓ of the dough. The ⅔ will be for the crust and the ⅓ for the topping.
- Combine the ⅓ portion of the dough with the chopped walnuts.
- Assemble: Firmly press the crust dough into your lined loaf pan.
- Pour the apple filling over the crust and smooth it out in an even, level layer.
- Crumble the topping over the filling. Lightly press it down with your hands.
- Bake and Cool: Place the bars in your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- After baking, remove the bars from the oven and cool them to room temperature in their baking dish.
- The bars can be served warm or chilled. They cut best after chilling in the fridge overnight.
- Storage: keep the bars covered in their baking pan, or transfer them to a sealed glass container and store in the fridge. They are best eaten within 5 days, after that they start to lose some of their texture.
Notes
*I used Honeycrisp apples, but Pink Lady or Granny Smith would work well too.
Katie
Hope you all love these apple walnut bars as much as we do! Enjoy!