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Apple Crumble Bars on a plate from the top
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5 from 1 vote

Date-Sweetened Apple Crumble Bars

These apple crumble bars are a great way to use up all the fresh apples this season. Not only are they sweetened with dates only, but they're also gluten-free, nut-free and very nutritious! They're made with a base of sunflower seeds, oats and dates, which makes them high in fiber, yet absolutely addictive.
Course Dessert
Cuisine vegan, vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 9

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 batch (2 cups) spiced chia applesauce (recipe on the blog)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish with margarine or butter. Set aside.
  • Spread the sunflower seeds on a baking sheet. When the oven is preheated, roast the sunflower seeds for 10 minutes until lightly golden. When the sunflower seeds are done roasting, remove from the oven.
  • Place the roasted sunflower seeds and dates in a food processor. Process until crumbly. Add 2 cups of oats, melted margarine (or butter), vanilla and salt. Add water and process until the mixture sticks together when pressed. Add the remaining 1 cup of oats and process for a few seconds until combined. You want the mixture to stick together, while still having texture.
  • Press the oat mixture at the bottom of the greased dish, leaving 1.5 cups for topping. Spread the applesauce evenly on top of the bottom layer. Finally, crumble the remaining oat mixture on top.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, uncovered at 325F. Let cool 30 minutes-1 hour before cutting. This helps the bars stick together.

Notes

To save some time, you can buy dry roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds instead of raw and skip the roasting process.
Get the recipe for the chia applesauce here.