6cupspeeled and thinly sliced baking apples,about 3 large apples
½cupgranulated sugar
1tablespoonfresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment so the paper hangs over all four sides. Set aside.
Stir together oats, ¾ cup flour, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter into oat mixture and stir to combine. Place 1 cup oat mixture aside and press remaining into bottom of baking dish.
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats, ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, ¾ cup packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg,, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves,, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 8 tablespoons butter,
Combine apples, granulated sugar, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon cloves. Stir to evenly coat. Dump apples on top of crust in baking dish and gently even them out. Crumble remaining 1 cup oat mixture on top of apples. Cover foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until crumb is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon,, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg,, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves,, 6 cups peeled and thinly sliced baking apples,, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Slice bars once completely cool and cover loosely until ready to serve.
Notes
This recipe was adapted from One Bowl Baking by Yvonne Ruperti. Recipe retested and slightly modified in October 2020.
Use a combination of tart and sweet baking apples for best flavor.
Old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats may be used as well as salted or unsalted butter.
Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them. Chilled bars cut the most cleanly and retain their shape better than warm bars.
Lining the pan with parchment paper makes it easier to remove the bars from the pan. Just lift the paper hanging over the edges like handles to remove all the bars to a cutting board.
Store these bars lightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The topping starts to lose its crunch after a few days but the flavor remains strong.
You can freeze these bars assembled but unbaked. Wrap metal pan tightly with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Add extra baking time (15-30 minutes) and tent with foil if browning too quickly.