Can I use any type of apple?

Yes, any apple variety will work, but I recommend Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Granny Smith for flavor purposes.

Is there a swap for palm shortening?

Butter is the best swap for shortening. You can use coconut oil, but it will make the crust/crumble topping more crumbly.

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

Scale

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
1/2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)

Crust and Crumble Topping

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (140g)
1/2 cup tapioca starch (62g)
1 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup palm shortening, room temp (63g) or butter
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

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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, 2/3 of the dough and 1/3 of the dough. The 2/3 will be for the crust and the 1/3 for the topping.
Combine the 1/3 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.