apple pie granola bars

Apple Pie Granola Bars

Tender and flavorful apple slices sandwiched between two layers of cinnamon spiced granola round out these delicious fall granola bars. Making these apple pie granola bars was our first real dive into fall recipes (besides a big batch of chili for Football Sunday), but these will be enjoyed any time of the year.

The Apples

We used a nice sized Granny Smith Apple that we peeled and sliced thin. It held it’s texture under through the baking process and gave the bars a nice apple-y taste.

We used the method from Serious Eats of soaking the apple slices to make them perfectly tender, and it worked like a dream. Definitely, a must do step when making these bars!

The Granola

A spiced mix of oats, seeds, nuts, maple syrup, and tahini lend themselves nicely to this pan of treats. The granola needed to be hearty enough to stand on its own and bake to perfection to hold up to the apples. This blend was perfect and yielded scrumptious apple pie treats that would be perfect for breakfast, snacks, or in a lunchbox (or honestly, slightly warmed and paired with a big scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream)! YUM!

Apple Pie Granola Bars

apple pie granola bars

Apple Pie Granola Bars

Yield: 9

Tender spiced apples sandwiched between two layers of cinnamon spiced granola and baked to perfection. The perfect plant based and vegan fall treat for any time. Apple Pie is always a win!

Ingredients

Granola Base Ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup hemp hearts (or chia, flax seeds)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup

Apple Pie Filling Ingredients

  • 1 granny smith apple, peeled, and sliced into 1/16 slices
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, *or sweetener of choice
  • 1 tablespoon cane sugar, *or sweetener of choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • lemon, juice from half

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, line baking dish (8x8) with parchment paper - leave edges so you can lift bars out for cooling.
  2. Mix all granola ingredients
  3. Pack 1/2 of granola mixture into 8x8 baking dish, bake for 10-12 minutes - until golden brown
  4. Bring about 1 cup water to boil.
  5. Place sliced apples in shallow dish, add warm water and soak for about 4- 5 minutes until apples are tender, yet still textured.
  6. Drain apples. Dress with juice from half a lemon and mix with cinnamon, sugars, corn starch
  7. After granola base is baked, evenly disperse apples into a nice layer on top of base, add second half of granola mixture and pack down gently.
  8. Bake apple pie granola bars for 18-24 minutes, until granola is browned and golden.
  9. Cool granola bars in pan for 2 hours, and then cool completely before cutting.
  10. Store in airtight container for 3-5 days.

Notes

*sugar/sweetener options could be date syrup, date sugar, maple syrup, or sweetener of your choice. 

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 346Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 30mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 5gSugar: 16gProtein: 10g
© veginspired

Watch the Recipe Video Here

We created this recipe in collaboration with our YouTube Pals; and if you want to watch all six apple themed recipes, click this link to head to the playlist. Or click the image below to view our recipe video.

Are you ready for fall?

These apple pie granola bars are such a fall treat. I love them, but I am not sure I am ready for fall. It was a 48 degree low where we are camped/parked this week, and that is a bit too chilly for my liking. Want to know more? Follow along on our travels on Instagram. We share recipes, inspo, restaurant recommendations, and more!

Be sure to snap a pic of your creations and tag us on Instagram and Facebook. We love to see your #veginspiredfoodie creations!

Until next time, Eat More Plants & Live VegInspired!

XO,

Kathy