Apple Pie Cookie Bars

This recipe is sponsored by Natural Grocers, a natural and organic grocery store I shop at frequently and love! All opinions in this post are my own!

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Holiday cheer is in the air! We’ve already had two snowstorms here in Denver, Christmas decorations are lining the shelves everywhere you turn, and I’m on the hunt for all things that include maple syrup and cinnamon. I’ve started adding those two things to my coffee every morning and it makes life worth living. You know what else makes life worth living? Natural Grocers. Because they have everything my food-driven heart desires. Garlic sauce? They got it. Gluten-free pizza? They got it. The tastiest raw desserts in the world? They got it! Natural Grocers has everything your gluten-free, clean-eating, paleo, keto, organic self desires, and that’s why I love them so much!

At the beginning of 2019, I started working with Natural Grocers to show you some of my favorite brands, products, and supplements I purchase every time I shop there. You can head to my instagram to watch my Natural Grocers highlights to see all the brands I purchase on a regular basis! And you can also check out some of the previous recipes I’ve created, all with Natural Grocers ingredients – so far I’ve made Stuffed Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken (so damn good),  Thai Watermelon Salad, and Thai Peanut Buddha Bowls. But today it’s all about seasonal flavors!

Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, I’m kicking this week off with Thanksgiving recipes and I’ll be sharing them all the way up until Thanksgiving! And since making an apple pie is WAY too much work, I created apple pie cookie bars instead! Whenever in baking doubt, make cookie bars. They never fail. I make a simple cookie crust that never fails me, then I layer it with sautéed apples, and a crunchy granola topping. And you can serve them warm or cold! I prefer mine to sit in the fridge overnight because then all the flavors meld together even more to create this ooey gooey apple bar that’s pure heaven!

If you’re hosting Thanksgiving this year or you just want to bring a healthier version of a dessert or appetizer to your family’s table, Natural Grocers has got your back! You can even reserve your own Mary’s Free Range organic turkey right now, online or in-store! Thanksgiving doesn’t have to mean stuffing your face with food that makes you feel like crap. Natural Grocers has so many options on their shelves to help you find food that not only nourishes the body, but comforts on a day that is all about comfort. Your family members will never know that you’re using organic, clean, and fresh ingredients. They’ll just know that the food tastes DELCIOUS. Especially if you’re serving the apple pie cookie bars!

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Apple Pie Cookie Bars

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• Author: juli
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 16 bars 1x

Ingredients

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For the crust:

• 1 1/2 cups Natural Grocers almond flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Natural Grocers coconut flour
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup melted 4^th & Heart ghee
• 1/4 cup Natural Grocers maple syrup
• pinch of salt

For the apple toppings:

• 3 tablespoons 4^th & Heart ghee
• 5 pink lady apples, chopped
• ½ cup Natural Grocers coconut sugar
• ¼ cup canned Natural Grocers coconut milk
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon Simply Organic vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon Simply Organic cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon Simply Organic nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon Simply Organic ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour

For the crumble toppings:

• • 1 bag (6 ounces) Bubba’s Cinnful Apple Ungranola
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons 4^th & Heart ghee
  • 1 tablespoon Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour
  • 1 tablespoon Natural Grocers coconut sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Wholesome organic powdered sugar, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 glass baking dish and line with parchmentpaper (this will help with removal to cut the squares later). Add all ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until completely combine. The dough should mix into a slight ball once combined. Put dough in a pan and use your fingers to press dough around evenly throughout the pan. Poke holes with a fork in the dough to keep it from rising in the oven. Bake crust for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside then turn the oven temperature up to 350 degrees F.
2. While the crust cooks, add ghee to a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add chopped apples and sauté for 5 minutes, until tender. Then add coconut sugar, coconut milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves. Cook for 3 minutes, then add tapioca flour and combined. Turn heat down to low.
3. Add all the ingredients for the toppings to a food processor and pulse until completely combined.
4. Add apple toppings to the top of the crust and spread out evenly. Then top with the crumble topping, using your fingers to spread the topping evenly throughout. Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing into 16 bars and topping with organic powdered sugar.*

Notes

*These bars are delicious served warm, but I prefer them cold after they have sat in the fridge overnight. Either way you want to serve them, people will be happy!

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This post is brought to you by Natural Grocers, a store I shop at weekly and absolutely love. I may be compensated for this post, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Thank you for all your support!