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Gluten-Free Apple Bars from the Whole Smiths! Naturally sweetened and so delicious!
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5 from 1 vote

Gluten-Free Apple Bars

Healthy Apple Bars made with a buttery gluten-free flour crust topped with a refined sugar-free honey-sweetened apple cider custard filling! Healthy fall baking at its best! 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple cider custard bars, healthy apple bars, healthy apple cake bars
Servings: 9 bars
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 2 sticks of butter room temperature
  • 2/3 C. coconut sugar
  • 2 C. gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • Pinch salt

Filling:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 C. honey
  • 1 C. apple cider
  • 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 C. gluten-free flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350*
  • Line a 8”x11” baking pan with parchment paper leaving a bit of parchment paper hanging over the edge
  • In a mixer, beat butter and sugar until smooth and combined
  • Slowly add gluten-free flour, cinnamon and salt to butter and sugar and beat until combined and a dough begins to form
  • Once combined add dough into lined baking pan and press crust down into pan evenly
  • Place crust in oven and bake for 10 minutes
  • Add 1 C. of apple cider to a small sauce pan and reduce down to 1/2 C. and cool
  • Meanwhile beat eggs well for 2-3 minutes on medium
  • Add sugar, reduced apple cider, apple cider vinegar and combine another minute
  • Slowly add gluten-free flour and baking powder while continuing to mix
  • Combine on medium speed until well incorporated
  • Once done, remove crust from oven
  • Pour apple filling over crust and bake for 30 minutes
  • Once baked, cool apple bars for 1 hour
  • Using excess parchment paper, lift apple bars out of baking dish and place on cutting boards
  • Using a pizza cutter, cut apple bars into squares and serve

Notes

Tips for making these healthy apple bars: 

  • For the crust recipe, I used a gluten-free 1:1 flour and I find it works perfectly. 
  • You can use maple syrup instead of honey and I think agave would probably work as well. 
  • If you want to turn these into apple pie bars, add a tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of cloves to the apple cider custard filling. 
  • These healthy apple bars are perfect as they are but a dollop of coconut whipped cream would not hurt either.