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Apple-Cinnamon Fruit Bars
6 Reviews
From: EatingWell Magazine September/October 2010
These easy apple-cinnamon fruit bars make a big batch—perfect for fall potlucks and parties.
- By: EatingWell Test Kitchen
Ingredients 18 servings
for serving adjustment
Serving size has been adjusted!
Original recipe yields 18 servings
Nutrition per serving may change if servings are adjusted.
- Crust
- 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or hazelnuts) or old-fashioned rolled oats, divided
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Tip)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- Fruit Filling
- 6 cups diced peeled apples, divided
- 1/2 cup apple cider or orange juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
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Active
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Ready In
- To prepare crust: Combine 3/4 cup nuts (or oats), whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse until the nuts are finely ground. Add butter; pulse until well incorporated.
- Whisk egg, oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract in a small bowl. With the motor running, add the mixture
- to the food processor. Process, then pulse, scraping down the sides, if necessary, until the mixture begins to clump, 30 to 45 seconds (it will look crumbly). Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and combine in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 cup chopped nuts (or oats). Set aside for the topping.
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Generously coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- To prepare fruit filling & assemble bars: Combine 4 cups apples, cider (or orange juice), sugar and cornstarch in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups apples, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Transfer the dough to the prepared baking dish. Spread evenly and press firmly into the bottom to form a crust. Spread the fruit filling over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved topping over the filling.
- Bake the bars for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 ° and bake until the crust and topping are lightly brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely before cutting into bars, at least 1 1/2 hours.
- Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the crust and topping (Steps 1-2) for up to 1 day. Cover or individually wrap and refrigerate the cooled bars for up to 5 days.
- Tip: Lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat and has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.
- Easy cleanup: Dessert pans can be a headache to clean. Skip the soaking and scrubbing by lining your pan with parchment paper before you bake.
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Per serving: 193 calories; 9 g fat(2 g sat); 2 g fiber; 27 g carbohydrates; 3 g protein; 23 mcg folate; 17 mg cholesterol; 16 g sugars; 11 g added sugars; 110 IU vitamin A; 2 mg vitamin C; 14 mg calcium; 1 mg iron; 69 mg sodium; 74 mg potassium
- Carbohydrate Servings: 2
- Exchanges: 2 other carbohydrates, 2 fat
Reviews 6
April 20, 2015
By: Cindy
Needs tweaking
These were a little disappointing in that we all wanted more fruit in the mix. Also, the topping was quite dry.
I won't make these again, as we'd prefer others, but would need to shift the proportions a bit if we were.
Cons: dry; wanted more fruit
July 25, 2012
By: EatingWell User
what can u substitute for eggs for vegetarians?
April 15, 2011
By: JG
Delicious! Like little apple pies!
I made the crust with oatmeal, and used orange juice instead of apple cider. They turned out great! They're extremely good right after they cool down, and okay after they have been in the fridge for a day (maybe they would taste better if warmed up)? My spouse said they tasted like little apple pies! :)
February 27, 2011
By: Beth
Worth the effort
My family and I loved these...I followed the recipe using 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 oats. They would be perfect for a pot luck dessert. One piece of advice: let them cool completely before covering or they get soggy.
Pros: Excellent taste and texture
Cons: Time consuming
October 17, 2010
By: EatingWell User
I changed my recipe to apple/strawberry, cutting to 5 cups apple and 1 cup strawberry. Reducing sugar by 1/4 cup. Omitted the cinnamon. I would love to try making just an oatmeal bar, made out of the crust and more oatmeal. Great, took to church potluck, cut servings in half and I came home with an empty plate. Big success.
September 14, 2010
By: EatingWell User
A coworker brought this to work. It was wonderful!!!!
Vickie
Dixon, Missouri
