Ginger Free Honey-Nutmeg Apple Crumble Bars
Warm spiced apples, a golden oat crumble, and a drizzle of honey make these bars the kind of treat that disappears fast at any gathering. The filling leans on nutmeg for its cozy, aromatic depth — no ginger anywhere in sight — so anyone who needs to avoid that particular spice can dig in without a second thought. Tapioca starch does double duty here, keeping both the crust and the apple filling perfectly bound without any gummy or starchy aftertaste. Cold butter worked into the oat-and-rice-flour base creates that irresistible crumbly, slightly crisp texture that holds together beautifully once the bars cool. Honey sweetens the apple slices in a way that feels a little more nuanced than plain sugar, complementing the nutmeg without overpowering the fruit. Let them cool fully before slicing and you'll get clean, sturdy bars that are just as good packed up for a lunchbox as they are served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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Learn more →Ingredients
9 servings
For the crust and crumble
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
For the apple filling
- 3 medium apples (about 1 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 3 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides to use as handles for lifting the bars out later.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, rice flour, tapioca starch (the crust-and-crumble portion), granulated sugar, and fine sea salt until evenly combined. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining — do not overwork it into a smooth dough.
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