Pink Lady Apple Crumble Bars

If you love apple crumble then you will love these apple crumble bars. They are crumbly, flavoursome and they go perfect with custard, ice-cream or whipped cream.

Since I was a child, apple crumble has been one of my favourite’s desserts. I remember staying over at my grandmothers on the weekend and she would always make a crumble for our afters. It was one of the things that I looked forward to all week so whenever I make apple crumble it always brings me back to happy memories in my childhood.

This recipe is inspired by her apple crumble recipe but instead of making a crumble pie, I’ve made it in the form of crumble bars. The reason why I love crumbles bars, is that I can calculated the portions more accurately and know how many calories I’ve eaten which is not so easy to do with a pie. Also, because they are portioned out, my kids can just help themselves when they want.

When I started making crumbles, I began making them using cooking apples. There was once a day when I wanted to make a crumble but only had pink lady apples in my fridge so I thought ‘why not try them instead’. I love pink lady apples so much; they are definitely my favourite variety of apples so I was loving the idea of having them in a crumble. The crumble came out perfect and since then, I only make crumbles with pink lady apples - hence the title.

These crumble slices are made using a combination of flour and oats. They are flavoured with cinnamon and nutmeg which really do bring out the flavours of the apples. They can be served cold or warm, only needing 30 secs in the microwave to reheat.

Ingredients for Pink Lady Apple Crumble Slices

For the Filling

• Apples - pink lady apples or your favourite apples.
• Sugar - I use granulated sugar for the filling.
• Cornflour - also known as cornstarch.
• Lemon juice - squeezed from a fresh lemon.
• Spices - ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg.
• Vanilla extract - use good quality vanilla extract.

For the Crumble

• Flour - I use plain flour.
• Oats - you can use any type of rolled oats. I use a combination of jumbo oats and regular oats.
• Sugar - I use a combination of granulated sugar and soft brown sugar.
• Salt - I use sea salt.
• Butter - I use unsalted butter.

How to Make Pink Lady Apple Crumble Slices

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 5/375^oF/190^oC and line a 8 x 8 baking tin with baking paper. Make the filling by adding the chopped apple, granulated sugar, cornflour, lemon juice, cinammon, nutmeg and vanilla extract to a medium bowl then combine. Set aside.

2. In a stand mixer bowl or a mixing bowl combine the plain flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt then add the butter to a microwavable bowl and melt in the microwave using 35 second increments. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the dry ingredients and using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer or a hand mixer combine the butter with the dry ingredients until they are well combined.

3. Pour just over half of the crumble mixture into the baking tin then evenly spread and press the mixture into the bottom of the baking tin. Ensure it is tight and compact. Spread the apple filling evenly on top of the pressed down crumble. Now take the rest of the crumble, sprinkle it on top of the apples and slightly press down. Optionally, you can sprinkle a ½ teaspoon of granulated sugar on top. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool before cutting into 16 bars.

Recipe Tips

• I use pink lady apples for these crumble bars but you can use any apples you desire. Some apples are not great for baking but you can read this post on the best apples for baking.
• For the crumble, use whole rolled oats rather than quick cook oats.
• For this recipe I use a 8 x 8 baking tray.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 serving - Calories: 218kcal | Fat: 10.2g | Saturates: 6.0g | Carbs: 29.9g | Sugar: 15.2g | Fibre: 1.5g | Protein: 2.2g | Salt: 0.05g.

Storage

Store these apple crumble bars in an airtight container at room temperature overnight. Any apple crumble bars left over the following day can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You can reheat the bars in the oven or microwave.

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