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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Desserts

    Easiest Apple Bars (with Vegan Caramel Sauce)

    Published: Jul 17, 2022 by Gaby Dimova Β· This post may contain affiliate links Β· 8 Comments

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    These apple bars are packed with nutritious ingredients and topped with a vegan caramel sauce. They are vegan and gluten free.

    apple bars on a plate

    What you will need

    Crust Ingredients

    • oats: I used old-fashioned oats for this recipe.
    • almond flour: blanched almond flour works best.
    • cinnamon
    • baking powder
    • maple syrup: agave, honey, or another liquid sweetener will also work.
    • coconut oil: vegan butter will also work.
    • vanilla
    • dash of salt

    Filling Ingredients

    • apples: any apples will work. I love using honeycrisp.
    • lemon
    • coconut sugar: any granulated sugar will work such as white, cane sugar, or brown sugar.
    • vanilla
    • cinnamon
    • cornstarch

    Caramel Sauce Ingredients

    • coconut cream: Coconut cream comes in a can. This is the brand I like. For this recipe, you will need to refrigerate the coconut cream overnight. Once you remove it from the fridge, open it and only scoop out the solid part that has formed at the top. Do not use any of the water.Β 
    • coconut sugar: again, any granulated sugar will work, but I love using coconut sugar because of the unique flavor that it gives to this recipe.
    • cornstarch
    • vanilla
    • salt

    How to make the apple bars

    Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, baking powder, maple, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Mix them well.

    oat being poured into a glass bowl
    oats
    almond flour being added to a bowl
    almond flour
    cinnamon being adding to a bowl of ingredients
    cinnamon
    baking powder being added to a bowl of ingredients
    baking powder
    maple syrup being poured to a bowl
    maple syrup
    melted coconut oil being added to a bowl
    coconut oil

    Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper and grease it lightly with some coconut oil.

    Add the crust to the pan, but save about Β½ of the mixture for the top layer.

    Use a spatula or your fingers to pat down the crust until you have a tightly packed, even layer.

    Now it's time to make your filling. Cut and peel the apples, then slice them as thin as you can.

    hand peeling an apple
    peel the apples
    chopping an apple
    chop them

    To a pan over medium heat, add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and vanilla.

    apple slices in a bowl
    apple slices
    lemon juice squeezed on top of apple slices
    lemon juice
    sugar added to a bowl
    coconut sugar
    cinnamon added to a bowl
    cinnamon
    cornstarch being added to a bowl
    cornstarch
    apple slices in a pan
    transfer all of the ingredients to a pan

    Cook the apples for 3-4 minutes, then add in the cornstarch. Stir everything together for another minute, then remove from heat.

    Pour the apple filling on top of the layer of crust. Use a spatula to make sure it's even.

    Add the remaining half of crust on top of the apples.

    hand patting down ingredients in a bowl
    add a layer of crust
    baked apples added to a dish
    add the apples
    adding oat crust to a dish with apples
    top with more apples

    Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes at 400F/ 200C.

    Remove from the oven and give the bars plenty of time to cool so that the filling can set.

    I sliced mine into smaller squares and made 9 bars with this recipe. Store it in the fridge for 5-6 days.

    fork cutting into an apple bar

    Video

    If you liked this recipe, you might also like these other fruity oat desserts:

    • raspberry oat bars
    • blueberry oat bars
    a slice of apple bars

    Easiest Apple Bars (with Vegan Caramel Sauce)

    Gaby Dimova
    These apple bars are packed with nutritious ingredients and topped with a vegan caramel sauce. They are vegan and gluten free.
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 9 bars
    Calories 333 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Crust Ingredients

    • 2 ΒΌ cup oats 180 g
    • 1 Β½ cup almond flour 180 g
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1 Β½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ΒΎ cup maple syrup
    • β…“ cup coconut oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • dash of salt

    Filling Ingredients

    • 3 medium sized apples 510 g
    • juice of Β½ lemon
    • β…“ cup coconut sugar
    • Β½ teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoon cornstarch

    Caramel Sauce Ingredients

    • β…“ cup coconut cream 100 g
    • Β½ cup coconut sugar 100 g
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
    • ΒΌ teaspoon vanilla
    • ΒΌ teaspoon salt

    Instructions
     

    • Start by making the crust. In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, baking powder, maple, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Mix them well.
    • Line the bottom of a baking dish with parchment paper and grease it lightly with some coconut oil.
    • Add the crust to the pan, but save about Β½ of the mixture for the top layer.
    • Use a spatula or your fingers to pat down the crust until you have a tightly packed, even layer.
    • Now it's time to make your filling. Cut and peel the apples, then slice them as thin as you can.
    • To a bowl, add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and vanilla.
    • Transfer the apple filling to a pan over medium heat. Cook the apples for 3-4 minutes, then add in the cornstarch. Stir everything together for another minute, then remove from heat.
    • Pour the apple filling on top of the layer of crust. Use a spatula to make sure it's even.
    • Add the remaining half of crust on top of the apples.
    • Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes at 400*F/ 200*C.
    • Now it's time to make the vegan caramel topping. To a small pan over medium heat, add the coconut cream that you scooped out from the can of coconut milk. After it has started to melt, add in the coconut sugar.
    • Stir them together consistently until the mixture starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk them together, making sure to break up any cornstarch clumps.
    • Transfer the caramel into a jar and place it in the fridge for it to cool and harden a bit.
    • Remove from the oven and give the bars plenty of time to cool so that the filling can set.
    • Once the bars have cooled, top them with the caramel sauce.
    • I sliced mine into smaller squares and made 9 bars with this recipe. Store it in the fridge for 5-6 days.

    Video

    Notes

    If you have a gluten sensitivity, make sure to use oats that are certified gluten free.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 7gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 139mgPotassium: 137mgFiber: 4gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword apple oatmeal bars, apple pie bars, vegan apple bars
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katy

      September 09, 2022 at 12:17 pm

      Hi there! I noticed both here and on your Pinterest post for this recipe there are no directions for making the caramel sauce. Could you please add them? This recipe looks great and I look forward to making it. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Gaby Dimova

        September 29, 2022 at 11:05 pm

        Hi there! The caramel ingredients are actually in the recipe card! (all the way at the bottom under caramel sauce ingredients) but I'm going to paste them here as well πŸ™‚

        Caramel Sauce Ingredients
        1/3 cup coconut cream 100 g
        1/2 cup coconut sugar 100 g
        1 tsp cornstarch
        1/4 tsp vanilla
        1/4 tsp salt

        Reply
        • Dee

          October 11, 2022 at 8:14 pm

          Do you cook the sauce?
          or just mix the ingredients?
          When to pour on the bars? after the come out of the oven? or wait a while?
          So excited to try this!
          Thank you,

          Reply
          • Gaby Dimova

            November 07, 2022 at 7:26 pm

            Hi there! Thank you for your questions! I just updated the recipe card to include all of the directions for the caramel sauce- I apologize I had forgotten to add them before ! πŸ™‚ I hope you give the recipe a try!

            Reply
        • Ellen

          October 23, 2022 at 11:39 am

          Ingredients are there but no directions. Do you just mix ingredients together? Heat it up? Etc. thanks!

          Reply
          • Gaby Dimova

            November 07, 2022 at 7:24 pm

            Hi there! Just added the directions in the recipe card- thank you so much for pointing out that I didnt have them πŸ™‚

            Reply
        • Amy

          October 26, 2022 at 2:14 pm

          Looking for the actual recipe for the caramel, not the ingredients!

          Reply
          • Gaby Dimova

            November 07, 2022 at 7:23 pm

            Oh my gosh I really appreciate you pointing out that I didn't have those! I was so sure that I did! However I have added them now, thank you πŸ™‚ I'm pasting them here for you as well!

            Now it's time to make the vegan caramel topping. To a small pan over medium heat, add the coconut cream that you scooped out from the can of coconut milk. After it has started to melt, add in the coconut sugar.
            Stir them together consistently until the mixture starts to bubble. Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Whisk them together, making sure to break up any cornstarch clumps.
            Transfer the caramel into a jar and place it in the fridge for it to cool and harden a bit.

            Reply

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    My name is Gaby and I'm the face behind Veggie World Recipes! On my site, you will find recipes that are vegan and made with a healthy twist. My goal is to make plant-based cooking accessible, fun, and always delicious!

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