Sweet juicy apple filling sandwiched between toasty crumble layers, these vegan apple crumble bars are perfect as autumn snacks/breakfasts. They are vegan and also gluten-free for most people to enjoy!
Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Line an 8-inch loaf pan with baking paper.
First, make the base and crumble topping:
To a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients: rolled oats, brown rice flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, walnuts, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground flaxseed). Use a fork to mix them together.
Then add melted coconut oil and water to the dry ingredients. Mix all the ingredients together evenly to form a crumbly mixture. The overall texture should be a little bit wet and when you press it, it should be able to stick together. If it’s too dry, add a tad more water to help binding.
Then make the apple filling:
Add all ingredients for apple fillings to a big bowl. Use a spoon to mix all ingredients together.
Then assemble:
Transfer about 2/3 to 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared pan. Use the sides of the baking paper to press it down firmly to make sure the mixture sticks together.
Spread the apple filling evenly onto the base, leaving about 1 cm of space from the edges.
Add the rest crumble mixture and use your fingers to crumble it on top of the apple filling.
Then bake:
Bake it in the preheated oven on the lower 1/3 rack at 175ºC/350ºF for 35~40 minutes. It should be golden on top and you can smell baked apple/oat flavor coming through.
Transfer the loaf tin onto a wire rack to cool down completely. Then cover it and put it into the fridge for 2 hours. This will make sure it doesn’t crumble too much when we cut it. Then take it out by grabbing the sides of the baking paper. Cut into big chunks and enjoy!
Notes
*Brown rice flour: I use this store-bought one which is a mix of white rice flour and brown rice flour.
Storage: Store the apple crumble bars in an air-tight container in the fridge. It should last for 3 ~ 4 days.