Description
These Easy Apple Pie Bars feature a tender vegan pie crust filled with a creamy cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith apple filling, topped with a crunchy oat streusel. Perfectly balanced with sweetness and spice, these bars are a delightful dessert that can be enjoyed warm or chilled for a firmer slice.
Ingredients
Scale
Apple Pie Filling:
- 8 medium Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced to ¼ inch thick
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup water, divided
Crust:
- 2 rollout vegan pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
- Neutral oil, for coating the baking dish
Streusel Topping:
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup vegan butter, diced and chilled
Instructions
- Cook the apples: In a large pot with a lid, combine the sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, cornstarch, and ¼ cup water. Mix gently to avoid breaking the apples. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining water and continue cooking: Pour in the remaining ¼ cup water, stir well until fully combined. Cover again, reduce heat to low, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally from the bottom to prevent sticking or burning, until the mixture becomes creamy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Prepare the baking dish and crust: Lightly coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with neutral oil. Place one pie crust into the dish, trimming any excess dough and setting the scraps aside.
- Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and chilled vegan butter. Mix by hand until mixture forms clumps. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to preheat.
- Assemble the bars: Spread the cooled apple filling evenly over the bottom crust. Top with the second pie crust, trimming any excess dough and reserving the scraps. Dice the dough scraps and mix them into the streusel mixture. Spread the streusel evenly over the top crust.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
- Cool and refrigerate: Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight to help the filling set and achieve firmer slices.
- Serve: Slice into bars and serve. Optionally enjoy with vegan vanilla ice cream for an extra treat.
Notes
- Optionally serve with vegan vanilla ice cream for added creaminess and flavor.
- To avoid a soggy crust, you can par-bake the bottom pie crust for about 10 minutes before adding the filling.
- Adjust sweetness to taste depending on how tart your apples are.
- Allow the bars to cool and set to make slicing easier and to achieve a creamier texture in the filling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 150 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
