Trick or Treat? & Happy Halloween......

Hello! So glad to be back up and blogging again. It was a long week without my camera, but they were able to fix it and I am back in business! Can't believe today is the end of October. It will be Thanksgiving before we know it. I love this time of year. I love the cool crisp air of fall and all of the wonderful produce that is available.

Of course apples this time of year are plentiful and so flavorful! I have been dreaming about this recipe all week and finally had the chance to make it yesterday. These are made like the Strawberry Oatmeal bars, but are made with apple streusel instead. Such a nice cozy fall treat! It smelled so good while it was baking.


There are three steps to this recipe 1. the oatmeal crust - you will reserve half of this mixture for the top. 2. The Buttery apple filling and 3. Apple Streusel topping. You will combine this with the 1/2 of the oatmeal mixture for the top of this.

Here is what you need:

For the Oatmeal Mixture:
1 1/2 cups of oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 organic egg
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp Earth balance (butter) melted
1/4 cup Grade B Maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond milk ( or regular milk if you prefer)


What you need for the Apple filling:
3 granny smith apples, thinly sliced and chopped - will make about 3 cups
2 tbsp earth balance or butter
1 tbsp grade B maple syrup
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt


For the Apple Streusel Topping:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp earth balance or butter
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon


Preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking dish with parchment paper. You can bring the paper up the sides or use oil to grease the sides. Thinly chop your apples and add to a pan with the other ingredients for the apple filling (butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and pinch of salt). Cook on low heat for about 10-14 minutes being sure to stir often. This mixture will thicken up.

Next in a medium sized bowl add your oat mixture. (oats, flour, baking soda, sea salt, brown sugar, egg, butter, maple syrup, vanilla, almond milk -or milk). Mix well, you can use your hands here too if you prefer. Reserve half of this mixture for the top and use the rest for the base. Use 1/2 of this to line the bottom of your baking dish (it should be lined with parchment paper). Flatten it out - you can use a pastry roll if you like or just use your hands. Next using a small bowl make your apple streusel topping with the brown sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon, mixing well with your fingers. Pour your apple filling mixture on top of the oat mixture and on top of that you will sprinkle out the remained of the oat mixture and the apple streusel topping mixture. Bake for 30 minutes and allow to cool completely before removing from pan. You can place these in the fridge for a bit before slicing to allow them to set up better. Cut into bars and wrap. You can freeze these if you want to help with portion control! This recipe is a total treat!

Hope everyone has a safe Halloween!