Let’s make some Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bars. Why? You need a reason? Weird. Fine: Because it’s already the middle of September, somehow. Does it feel like Fall where you are? Whether or not the weather is giving you those Fall vibes, apples are in season and that makes me want to bake.

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bars are good for breakfast-time, snack-time, and dessert-time
They’re easy to make, too. The shortbread-y crust and the crumbly top are the same, just split in half. The trickiest part is cutting the apples into small even cubes. The key is to not start by cutting the apple in half. Instead, cut around the core, like this:
Once you have this apple cutting method down, you can apply it to anything round that you want to cut into cubes, even slices, or matchsticks.
Here’s the thing: I am uninspired. Sick of my own food. Over cooking. Completely over thinking about what to cook. I’ll snap out if it eventually, but that’s where I’m at right now. When I’m in a rut like this, I turn to cookbooks and restaurants doing exciting things. These days, it’s just cookbooks because we’re still in a raging pandemic that could be over by now – but isn’t for reasons that makes me want to punch things.
Why am I telling you this? Mostly because I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. And also because when I’m in a food rut, baking is something I can get into, and it’s hard to not feel a little bit better about life when the smells of apples and cinnamon are wafting through the house.

These Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bars are an any time of the day type of thing. I am all for eating them for breakfast, as an afternoon snack with tea, or heated up with a scoop of ice cream for dessert.
Don’t do oats? Don’t fret. Make my Apple Pie Bars instead!
I bought a new kind of ice cream the other day – Russian style ice cream, which I had no idea was a thing – in creme brûlée flavor. I’m a fan, and it was perfect atop a warm cinnamon apple oatmeal bar. I mean. Is there a more quintessential fall treat? We can’t be friends if you say pumpkin pie.
Okay fine we can be friends but we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.

how to line your pan with parchment, wrinkle-free:

Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Bars
cinnamon apple oatmeal bars: the perfect fall treat!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
- Total Time: 65-70 minutes, plus time to chill
- Yield: 9-12 bars
- Category: dessert
- Method: bake
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
- 1 1/2 pounds apples (4–5 apples), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
For the crust and topping:
- 1 cup cassava flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
- 1 stick / 8 tablespoons butter, cut into pats
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a lightly greased 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper and lightly grease the parchment.
- Make the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the apples, tablespoon of coconut sugar, lemon juice, tablespoon of tapioca starch, teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt.
- Make the crust and top: In the bowl of a food processor set with the chopper blade, pulse the cassava flour, coconut sugar, vanilla extract, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse 10-12 times to cut in the butter, so there are no longer any large chunks.
- Add the oats and the water and pulse a few times more, until the mixture starts to clump together.
- Press half of the oat mixture into the prepared pan, pressing it firmly and evenly. Spread the apple mixture over the crust and top with the remaining oat mixture, pressing it gently onto the apple mixture.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the apples are bubbly throughout, and the top is light golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely* before removing from the pan and cutting into squares.
Notes
*If you want these to be squares you can pick up, you really need to let them cool completely before cutting. If you’ll be eating them a la mode with a spoon, just scoop them out of the pan and go about your life.
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Susan says
This recipe looks fabulous and even better than apple pie! Can’t wait to make it; thanks Simone!
Molly says
Really loved these! Thank you for the yummy recipe. Maybe next time I can wait for them to cool and see how they turn out as bars, but once that smell was wafting in the house, they didn’t stand a chance! Side note: the addition of the lemon juice in the filling and the cinnamon measurement in the topping/base wasn’t listed, but all of the above was easy enough to make an educated guess.
zenbelly says
Hi Molly!
I’m so glad you loved them, and thanks for the heads up about the recipe errors. I have edited so everything should be there now 🙂