Baked Apple Raspberry Oat Bars (Gluten Friendly!)
Baked Apple Raspberry Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 1 apple honeycrisp
- 1 ½ Tbsp butter
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour gluten free
- ⅔ cup quick oats
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup raspberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare an 8×8 baking dish by spraying it with avocado oil spray and set aside.
- Peel and chop the honeycrisp apple into small, even pieces. Place in a small pan with the butter over medium-low heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid burning. The apple pieces should be soft and lightly golden when done. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients: almond flour, gluten free all-purpose flour, quick oats, and cinnamon. Stir until evenly combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture: avocado oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix until the mixture comes together into coarse, crumbly clumps. It should hold together when you press a small amount between your fingers. If it feels too dry, add a small drizzle of avocado oil.
- Pour about two thirds of the oat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Press it down firmly and evenly to form a flat base layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Spoon the softened apple pieces evenly over the par-baked base, then spread the raspberry jam over the top in an even layer.
- Crumble the remaining one third of the oat mixture over the filling, spreading it as evenly as you can.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is lightly golden and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 16 bars. This helps the bars hold their shape when sliced.
Nutrition
I will be honest with you. Sometimes I just want to make something that feels like dessert but does not completely derail everything I have been working on. These bars are exactly that.
They are gluten friendly, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and have that warm, crumbly, fruit-filled thing going on that makes you feel like you did something really nice for yourself. The honeycrisp apple gets simmered in butter first, which sounds like a small detail but it genuinely makes a difference. It softens and sweetens the apple before it ever hits the oven, so you end up with this tender, almost jammy layer underneath the crumble top.
The raspberry jam brings a little tartness to balance everything out. Together they work really well and the oat base ties it all together in a way that feels hearty without being heavy.
These are the kind of thing I would bring to a get-together without telling anyone they are gluten friendly and nobody would ever know. They would just ask for the recipe.
What Makes These Work
The base is a combination of almond flour, gluten free all-purpose flour, and quick oats. Using both flours gives you a better texture than relying on just one. Almond flour alone can be too dense and a single gluten free flour can sometimes feel a little gummy. Together they hit a nice middle ground that holds up as a bar without being crumbly in the bad way.
Avocado oil keeps things moist without a strong flavor, and the maple syrup adds sweetness that pairs naturally with both the apple and the raspberry.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Start
Make sure your apple pieces are cut small and even so they cook through consistently during the simmer step. Honeycrisp is worth using here specifically because it holds its shape when cooked rather than turning to mush.
Let the bars cool completely before you cut them. I know it is tempting to cut into them while they are still warm but they need that time to set or they will fall apart on you. Give them at least 30 minutes on the counter.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days or in the fridge for up to five days.
Yield: 16 bars Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Total time: 1 hour
