Pecan 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 dessert. The filling layers thinly sliced fresh apples with honey and nutmeg, so the flavor is naturally sweet and fragrant without relying on any nuts whatsoever. The crust and topping are built from rolled oats, rice flour, and tapioca starch, which means the texture is satisfyingly crumbly and hearty while staying completely free of tree nut concerns. Cold butter worked into the dry ingredients creates those irresistible pea-sized clumps that bake up golden and crisp on top — no shortcuts needed. Once the filling bubbles at the edges and the topping turns deep amber, you know they're ready, and the hardest part is waiting the full 30 minutes for them to set before cutting. Lift the whole slab out using the parchment handles, slice into nine bars, and you've got a shareable treat that looks like it came from a bakery. Whether you're packing them for a school event or just want something cozy on the counter, these bars deliver serious comfort with a clean, simple ingredient list.
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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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