Stocked Up On Apples? Make Some Apple Pie Bars!

Hello friends!

We recently went to Jonamac Orchard in Malta, Illinois to enjoy some Fall activities, like apple picking! That, of course, means that we came back from our trip with bags full of apples! If you’re like me then you get excited about the activity of apple picking, but then you get home and see you have like…20 apples just hanging out on your counter–waiting to be eaten!

It is the season of baked apple treats, my friends!! I’ve been getting into baking a bit more after finding confidence in Katarina’s recipes (The Loopy Whisk), so having the larger quantity of apples on my counter didn’t concern me, but excited me!

My mom usually makes apple crumble every year, so when I saw a recipe for Gluten-Free Apple Pie Bars, I simply had to make it–to get a little taste of nostalgia.

This week’s recipe is by The Loopy Whisk and you can find the recipe right -> here!

Making The Apple Filling

One of my favorite smells has to be apples and cinnamon. Oooh man–that just smells like Fall! This apple pie filling includes a combination of apples, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and a little bit of lemon juice and salt. It’s so incredibly easy to make, but it’s definitely a good idea to get this going on the stove first before starting the shortbread.

This filling is SO good! It’s certainly apple pie sweet, so your kitchen will be smelling amazing for the duration of this entire bake. You don’t need to constantly stir the apples while they cook and soften, but just enough to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn. Cooking the apples will take a few minutes, or until the sugar starts coating the apples like syrup and the apples begin to soften. You don’t want them mushy in this case, but just softer.

Once done, the apple filling will need to cool down a bit, which is the perfect time to start working on the shortbread!

Gluten-Free Shortbread for Apple Pie Bars

This shortbread dough is awesome! I mean, it’s gluten-free and holds its shape! And (if you read my previous baking reviews) it does not use psyllium husk or any eggs! No need for elasticity here!

Like regular shortbread, it doesn’t take long to come together, but long enough for the apple pie filling to cool down a bit. This shortbread uses gluten-free flour that you can either make yourself or use the store-bought gluten-free all purpose mixes.

For all my baking reviews, I’ve been using the gluten-free flour mix from Katarina’s cookbook (Baked To Perfection) which includes a combination of buckwheat flour, millet flour, and tapioca flour. So the addition of xanthan gum is necessary.

Once fully combined, the shortbread dough is easy to work with. It is formed into a smooth ball that can be broken apart to be pressed into the bottom of the baking dish you’ll use for your apple pie bars. Honestly, this was very impressive, because we’ve seen gluten-free doughs just crumble to the touch. This? This held its shape. And when you need it to crumble for the top of the apple pie bars, you are able to to pull off pieces of the dough to drop onto the top of the apple pie filling.

This. Just. Works!

Grey’s Grade: 5/5

If you’re gluten-free and looking for some Fall deliciousness, then you should definitely check out this recipe. Not only is it very tasty, but it’s simple to make. Plus, if you’re already apple picking, then you should already have the most important component of this recipe–the apples!

This is perfect to have as a treat at home and most certainly a treat that can be shared with others. Have a potluck coming up? A party? Time to make some apple pie bars, right? This is absolutely a recipe that I will love to make again and would highly recommend to anyone looking to make a gluten-free Fall treat.

I feel like I’m just repeating myself at this point. The Loopy Whisk, Katarina C, they are truly so well-versed and researched in gluten-free baking. If you’re looking for a recipe that will taste delicious, and impress even those who are not gluten-free, then you seriously need to check out her page AND her cookbook, Baked To Perfection.

What else are you baking this season? Let me know in the comments below!

Check Out My Reviews!

• Keeping Japchae 100% Gluten-Free
• Can You Make Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls?
• High Protein Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta

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