When everyone else starts craving pumpkin at the first hint of fall, I crave apple pie. But making a whole pie can be a hassle. The easy solution? Apple Pie Bars.
Apple Pie Bars — easy as pie (but simpler)
I first saw a version of these bars in the NYT Cooking app and immediately wanted to make a gluten-free adaptation. The original recipe was more complicated than necessary — separate doughs for top and bottom, pre-cooking the apples, mandatory chilling — so I simplified it. The goal here is ease: one dough that becomes both the base and the crumble topping. Press half into the pan, crumble the rest over the apples, and bake.
Thinly sliced apples bake tender in the same time the crust crisps and the topping browns, so there’s no need to cook the apples first. This method saves time and dishes while delivering all the flavor of a classic apple pie in an easier format.
If you love a traditional pie, I understand — my Apple Pie recipe is a reader favorite. If you’re excited for apple season and want more ways to use apples, other ideas include applesauce (stovetop or Instant Pot), apple cake, savory dishes like pan-roasted chicken with bacon and apples, and sweet potato puree with apples and sage.
Apple Pie Bars
5 from 5 reviews
So much easier than pie!
- Author: Simone Miller
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch (arrowroot works too)
- 1/3 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced (plus more for greasing the pan)
- 1 egg
For the Filling:
- 2 pounds apples (about 6–7 medium; Pink Lady works well)
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch (arrowroot will work)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (adjust to taste)
Instructions
Make the Crust and Topping:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- In a food processor, pulse together the almond flour, tapioca starch, coconut palm sugar, vanilla, and salt until combined.
- Add the cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the egg and pulse just until the dough begins to come together.
- Press half the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Transfer the remaining dough to a bowl and refrigerate both the baking dish and the bowl while you prepare the apples.
Prepare the Apples:
- Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples (about 1/8-inch thick).
- In a large bowl, toss the apple slices with the coconut palm sugar, tapioca starch, lemon juice, and cinnamon until evenly coated.
- Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and spread the apples evenly over the pressed crust. Crumble the reserved dough over the top, covering as much of the fruit as possible.
- Bake for 55–70 minutes, until the top is deep golden and the apples are tender. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil.
- Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into 9 or 12 squares.
Notes
Recommended baking apples include:
- Jonagold
- Honeycrisp
- Braeburn
- Mutsu
- Winesap
- Pink Lady
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