Apple & Walnut Oatmeal Bars are the perfect little breakfast or snack! They have a gluten-free oatmeal walnut base and crumble and are filled with a sweet cinnamon apple mixture. This recipe was made in partnership with California Walnuts, but all opinions are my own.
Tis the season for apple picking, and we all know what that means. Loads of apples lying around, but nothing to do with them. Cue these super easy, apple walnut oatmeal bars!
You get chunks of walnuts in every bite, which add such a delicious nuttiness. They’re truly a perfect way to use up those extra apples.
Growing up, we went apple picking every fall. I’m talking matching denim overalls and buckets of apples. You know, the real deal.
We loved snacking on the apples alone, but after bucket number one you kind of get bored of them. My mom used to make us apple pancakes on the weekends, and the most delicious fruit tart with a simple shortbread crust and apple filling. She still makes it to this day but plays around with the fruit filling from time to time.
These bars are kind of a spin-off of my mom’s tart, but made gluten-free and vegan with the help of oat flour and coconut oil, and with the addition of walnuts for some omega-3 ALA (2.5 grams) goodness!
I wanted to create a bar recipe, so they would be an easy grab n’ go option.
I’m such a fan of that walnut and apple combination. On Passover, we eat what we call Haroset (or Charoset). It’s a paste-like mixture made with chopped apples, walnuts, dates, sweet wine and a few spices- it’s SO good.
The sweetness from the apples and saltiness from the walnuts work so well together!
Here are a few other reasons I love walnuts:
- They’re versatile: Walnuts are delicious in both sweet and savory recipes
- They’re nutritious: One serving of walnuts (about 1 oz) has 4g of protein, 2g of fiber, and 2.5g of plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)!
- Walnuts are also a great snack option!
These apple walnut oatmeal bars are going to be a meal prep staple. They truly taste like fall in a bite.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Rolled oats
- Oat flour- store bought is ideal, but you can make your own by blending rolled oats until fine!
- Apples- Any apple variety works, but my absolute favorite kind is honeycrisp
- Walnuts
- Coconut oil
- Pure maple syrup
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla extract
- Tapioca flour- to help thicken the apple mixture
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Baking soda
You prep the crumble mixture for both the base and the top, then toss the apples with the seasoning and bake until crispy perfection! Easy, delicious, and nutritious.
I can’t wait for you guys to try them. Be sure to leave a rating and comment if you do!
Thank you to California Walnuts for sponsoring this post. I only work with brands I truly love and believe in.
Apple Walnut Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
Crust/Crumble
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cup oat flour
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp softened coconut oil
- ½ cup walnuts, crushed
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
Filling
- 2 cups thinly sliced apples. This was 1 large honeycrisp for me, or about 2 medium apples
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp tapioca flour, or sub cornstarch or arrowroot flour
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup crushed walnuts
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, oat flour, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add in the soft coconut oil and maple syrup and mix together until a crumble forms.
- Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper. Flatten ⅔ of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the dish, reserving the rest for the top. Set it aside while you prep your apples.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, toss together the sliced apples and all filling ingredients. Mix together over a low/medium flame for 10 minutes, until the apples begin to soften.
- Layer the apple mixture over the base, and cover with remaining crumble. Flatten it down gently so the top is even.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Hello. Looks delicious. How long will these bars keep?
I keep them refrigerated for up to 2 weeks!
I made this, using extra virgin olive oil instead of coconut oil. The result was still very good. Next time I will only crush walnuts for the base layer, not for the top crumble. I think chunks of walnuts would be better for the top, crumble layer.
You can definitely make that swap! so glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Hello! Can I replace coconut oil with virgin oil ?
Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Hey Anastasia, the only substitute I think would work here is butter, dairy or non-dairy, since the texture needs to be soft not melted. Hope that helps!