I’m not exaggerating when I say that these are the best soft Paleo Apple Bars. I love the soft texture along with the crunch of walnuts. I also love the tart apple flavor wrapped in a nutty cinnamon flavor. In my opinion, they’re perfect.
These bars could almost be called a cake, but I always feel like cake requires frosting or at least some sort of topping. Bars can be eaten as they are, but these would also be great with a little ice cream alongside them.
I use unsweetened ingredients in this recipe (shredded coconut, applesauce, and almond butter), but I added half a cup of honey. It ends up a little on the sweet side for me, but I don’t eat much sugar. You could try adjusting the amount of honey or adding another sweetener depending on whether you want them more or less sweet. They can work for dessert, breakfast, or snack.
The bars are moist (another thing I love about them), so any that aren’t eaten right away should be refrigerated, at least during hot weather.
These Apple Bars are a modified version of my Pumpkin Breakfast Bars (which aren’t just for breakfast). I know that pumpkin spice things are popping up all over the place, but I’m not quite ready for pumpkin just yet. I’ve been getting apples in my CSA box and want to fully enjoy apple season before starting on pumpkin. 🙂
Paleo Apple Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour (I use Honeyville brand)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I use Let's Do Organic brand)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons soft coconut oil (I use Tropical Traditions brand)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 medium apple, diced small (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup flax seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F and grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the applesauce, almond butter, honey, coconut oil, and eggs. Beat with a mixer until everything is incorporated.
- Stir in the diced apple, walnuts, and flax seeds.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
I used an organic gala apple and left the peel on.
Oooh, these bars look and sound terrific, Linda! I need this recipe in general, but especially for the times when I have one apple left and it needs to be used. 🙂 Seeing your post also reminds me that I need to order almond flour again–thanks!
Shirley
Linda! These apple bars look fantastic but I would like to use a different almond flour and a different unsweetened shredded coconut, would that be alright?
Yes, that should work but the results could be different if you do not use blanched almond flour or if it is not unsweetened coconut.
These look fantastic! We have a lot of apple trees and these have all the yummy ingredients I love. One question – do you grind the flax seeds in this recipe, or leave them whole?
I tried to leave 5 stars and it only let me do 4 – I did mean 5
Angela, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I left the flax seeds whole.
I am a gluten free baker and I sell my goods at a farmers market. I am always looking for new, healthy and tasty recipes. This is really good. I am going to offer it Saturday. Hopefully my customers will like it as much as I do! I like that its grain free, very nutty, just sweet enough with the honey, and the almond butter gives it a nice texture and smell. To me its a guilt free treat, good for breakfast or snack. I followed the recipe as is, although i did use ground flax seed, and I mixed the wet ingredients together first before adding the dry. It came out great at 25 minutes. Thanks for the recipe.