Oatmeal Apple Pie Bars

Today my kids headed back to school. Both girls were pretty excited I think. Our oldest started 7th grade and is looking forward to being involved with sports this year. Our almost 5 year-old started kindergarten, I surprisingly held it together really well this morning! I honestly love having them home with me everyday but I know they enjoy their time at school as well.

I can't believe how big they've both gotten!

I love to have some sort of snack or treat ready for them when they come home from school. Sometimes it's some fresh fruit and crackers and other times it might be something special like these bars.

I can feel good about serving these for a snack because they're not loaded with sugar and instead filled with lots of fresh apples. Even if you're not a dessert lover, I know you would enjoy these bars simply for the buttery oatmeal crust and topping.

Oatmeal Apple Pie Bars

Ingredients:

Apple Filling:

3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Oatmeal Crust:

1 c flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c brown sugar

1 c quick oats

1 stick butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 8x8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. To make filling: melt butter in a med-large skillet, add all other ingredients and cook for about 10 mins, until apples become tender and caramelize. I added just a tsp of water to thin the filling out a bit, you might not think this step is necessary.  Set aside and let cool while you work on crust.

To make crust: Whisk flour, salt, baking soda, brown sugar and oats together. Add in melted butter and mix together. Take about 1 1/2 c of oat mixture and press into bottom of baking pan. Top with apple filling. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over apple filling. Bake for 30-35 mins. or until golden brown. Let cool and cut into squares.

Slightly adapted from: Once a Month Mom

And now for my giveaway winner.......Angie Webb! I happen to know Angie's a school teacher so these apple gifts just seem fitting for her :)  Thank you again to all of my readers, I appreciate every one of you and I hope you enjoy reading my recipes!