Apple Crumble Breakfast Bars

MAKE THESE SOON!

apple crumble breakfast bars | immaEATthat.com

Ohhh I’m so in love.  I’m all about the baked oatmeals and this is like a doughy baked oatmeal.  And we know how I feel about doughy things.

This recipe was inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s date breakfast squares I came across last Friday night.

I wanted to make them for Saturday breakfast, but since the kitchen is a hot mess I couldn’t find my dates anywhere.  I know I JUST bought some.  I’m sure I’ll find them when I don’t need them.  Like when I’m doing laundry I’m sure the dates will be like, “oh heyyyy.”

apple crumble breakfast bars | immaEATthat.com

My father-in-law can make an excellent oatmeal crumble bar.  Our family went through an oatmeal crumble bar phase last year when we played around with what we filled them with.  One time we used apricot preserves and another time peaches.

I hate apricots. I wouldn’t touch dried apricots with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole. But I liked the apricot oatmeal crumble bars. Life is so confusing.

Moral of the story: you can layer these with anything your heart desires and you may end up liking a fruit you didn’t like because the oatmeal layer is so yum.

Other things. I think this dough would make a great oatmeal cookie dough. I haven’t tried to roll it into cookies and bake it, but I will soon and I’ll report back.  Until then, make these bars and eat them for breakfast and snacks and dessert.  That’s what I do.

apple crumble breakfast bars | immaEATthat.com

Apple Crumble Breakfast Bars

Yield: 8x8" dish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

apple filling
2 honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

dough
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup almond butter (mine was sweetened)
2-5 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.  

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add butter, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Toss together and cook, tossing frequently, until apples soften.  This should take 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and sea salt.  Make a well and add in melted butter and almond butter.  Mix to bring the dough together.  Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough resembles a cookie dough.  Press 2/3rds of the dough into a greased 8x8" baking dish.  Top with sautéed apples and sprinkle the remaining dough over the apples.  Bake for 20 minutes.  The dough may seem a little underbaked when removed from the oven.  Allow to cool in the fridge over night before serving.  I preferred this cold.  But you do you.