Easy Michigan Apple Pie Bars
Our friend Amanda from The Nutritionist Reviews tells us about her Easy Michigan Apple Pie Bars that feature a layered whole-grain flavorful crust with soft and gooey apples for the perfect simple dessert!
I love apple pie when the apples are soft, sweet and buttery. I made these Easy Michigan Apple Pie Bars after my mother-in-law created delicious apple pie bars for an event and I fell in love with them upon first bite. They can be eaten cold or warm- I eat them both ways and cannot decide which way is better. 
These Apple Pie Bars are made healthier than regular pie with whole-wheat flour and oats for more fiber. I used much less sugar but by using the sweet Golden Delicious apples, the bars still taste plenty sweet. Golden Delicious apples are tasty eaten raw but I prefer them cooked. They are the perfect apples for baked apples or for pies.
These bars make a great dessert but could also be eaten for breakfast with some Greek yogurt or for an afternoon snack with a cup of hot tea or coffee. My whole family loved them and I would make them again. I topped them with some caramel sauce and they were so good that way! They would also be perfect served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
If you like your desserts a little bit more tart, you can use tart varieties of apples. I debated whether I should cook the apples first to make them soft but cutting them super thin and baking them long enough seemed to do the trick.
Easy Michigan Apple Pie Bars
Easy Michigan Apple Pie Bars feature layered whole-grain flavorful crust with soft and gooey apples for the perfect simple dessert!
Yield: Serves 8
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30-35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
4 Golden Delicious apples, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Crust and topping
3/4 cup oats
1 cup white whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Toss apples with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon.
Mix together all ingredients for crust/topping until a dough forms.
Press 2/3 of dough on bottom of a baking dish that is sprayed with nonstick spray.
Top dough with apple mixture. Crumble the rest of the dough over the apple layer
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until apples are soft and dough is cooked through.
Enjoy!
Amanda Hernandez is a registered dietitian and recipe developer. She grew up on a farm filled with apple trees and apples are one of her favorite foods! She is the author of The Nutritionist Reviews, a healthy recipe, nutrition, fitness and parenting blog. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
