Grains & Pasta

Apple Bars

Name: Apple Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup Wheat Flour (All-Purpose, Enriched); 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour (Unenriched); 1/4 teaspoon Salt; 1/2 teaspoon Baking soda; 1/2 cup, packed Brown sugar; 1 cup, old-fashioned Rolled Oats; 1/2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg; a pinch (optional) Ground cloves; 1/2 cup, cold Butter (Stick, Unsalted); 3 cups, peeled, cored and sliced, about medium Apple (Gala); 2/3 cup Raisins (Dark); 1/4 cup, granulated Sugars

Oat and whole-wheat crumb bars with sliced apples and raisins — about 223 calories per bar, 12 bars per pan.

223kcal per serving

2.6gprotein

35.9gcarbs

8.4gfat

110 mgsodium

Sodium is calculated without salt added to taste.

Per 1 serving of 12 — 1 bar (1 of 12). Estimated; may vary.

Prep15 min

Cook45 min

Total60 min

Makes12 servings

DifficultyMedium

Apple bars from a 9×13 pan: an oat and whole-wheat crumb mixture pressed under and over sliced apples and raisins, baked until the fruit softens. One bar of twelve comes to about 223 calories with 8 g fat and 36 g carbohydrate, so it sits between a cookie and a slice of fruit crisp.

The crumb has to stay crumbly. Cut cold butter into the dry mixture with two knives or a pastry blender and stop while pea-sized pieces remain; if it warms into a paste the base bakes dense instead of crisp. Press only the bottom layer, and scatter the top layer loosely.

Let the pan cool completely before cutting or the bars fall apart. They keep three days at room temperature in a covered container, or a week in the fridge, and they freeze well wrapped individually. Pears work in place of apples, and a spoon of plain yogurt turns a bar into breakfast.

Ingredients

Amounts below make 12 servings, one serving is 1 bar (1 of 12).

Wheat Flour (All-Purpose, Enriched)1/2 cup (63 g)
Whole Wheat Flour (Unenriched)1/2 cup (60 g)
Salt1/4 teaspoon (1.5 g)
Baking soda1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g)
Brown sugar1/2 cup, packed (110 g)
Rolled Oats1 cup, old-fashioned (81 g)
Ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon
Ground nutmeg1/2 teaspoon
Ground clovesa pinch (optional)
Butter (Stick, Unsalted)1/2 cup, cold (113 g)
Apple (Gala)3 cups, peeled, cored and sliced, about medium (330 g)
Raisins (Dark)2/3 cup (97 g)
Sugars1/4 cup, granulated (50 g)

Cook’s tips

Keep the butter cold and work it in quickly; warm butter makes a dense base rather than a crumbly one.
Slice the apples thinly and evenly, about 1/4 inch, so they cook through in the same time as the crumb topping.
Cool fully before cutting, then store covered at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
Contains: wheat (all-purpose and whole-wheat flour), milk (butter).
Gluten-free: use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten-free oats. Dairy-free: use plant-based stick margarine in place of the butter.

Method

Wash your hands and all surfaces before you start.
Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Stir both flours, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture is coarse crumbs.
Press half the crumbs into the pan. Layer the apple slices and raisins on top and sprinkle with the sugar.
Scatter the remaining crumbs evenly over the apples without pressing.
Bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top is golden and the apples are tender.
Cool completely in the pan, then cut into 12 bars.

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