Peanut Free Honey-Nutmeg Apple Crumble Bars
Warm spiced apples, golden crumble, and a drizzle of honey — these bars hit every note you want from a fall-inspired bake. The base and topping come together from the same oat-and-rice-flour mixture, so you get a buttery, crisp crunch on both ends with tender, nutmeg-kissed apple in the middle. Rice flour and tapioca starch stand in for all-purpose flour, which means the whole recipe is naturally free from wheat and any nut-based ingredients that can sneak into store-bought baked goods. Honey does double duty in the filling, adding floral sweetness while helping the apple slices caramelize beautifully as they bubble in the oven. Cold butter worked into the crumble is the real secret — those pea-sized pieces melt during baking and create that irresistible, slightly shaggy topping that's impossible to stop picking at. Once cooled and sliced into nine neat bars, they hold together cleanly thanks to the tapioca starch binding the filling as it sets. Pack them into a lunchbox, serve them at a gathering, or just eat one straight off the parchment — no regrets either way.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
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.
Want the full recipe?
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!