As we’re entering apple season, it’s time for me to introduce you to the tastiest apple bars that will be loved by little and large hands alike. Along with them, let me also introduce you to a new and already beloved product which is nothing other than the Cretan Nectar white petimezi, which I’ll describe in detail below.
And that’s because I first need to convince you to try the soft apple bars with a chocolate topping. I know that the picture speaks for itself, but the picture can’t tell you that these bars are soft, aromatic, vegan, and gluten-free! Nor can the picture tell you that no one can eat less than 3, because they’re simply delicious! Now? Are you convinced?
What we are going to need
For the bars
- Apples. You’ll need 2 red apples, the autumn apples that are crunchy. The procedure you need to follow is outlined in the recipe instructions. I used them peeled, but you can keep the skin on. The important thing is to dice them.
- Oat flakes. I always choose and use whole-grain oat flakes. Oats don’t have gluten, but if you suffer from a serious case of gluten intolerance, then you should buy oat flakes without gluten so that they don’t even have traces.
- Tahini. I choose whole-grain tahini, as well. If you want to replace it, you can use almond butter (which goes excellently with apples) or any other nut butter you like.
- White petimezi by Cretan Nectar. The white petimezi from Cretan Nectar contains only natural sugars from white grapes and has no preservatives, additives, or dyes. In contrast to the classic petimezi, it’s been processed in lower temperatures without caramelizing, and as a result, doesn’t have the characteristic bitter taste of the classic version and can be used in even more sweet preparations. In the final days of the vine harvest, on the sunny mountain slopes of Crete, they gather the mature white grapes of the Cretan Stafida variety and the incredibly aromatic variety Moschato. For a few days, they’ll be sun-dried and then, after they’re pressed, their must will be simmered to create the white petimezi by Cretan Nectar. It’s a natural syrup that’s rich in nutritional elements and can be used as an alternative sweetener that goes beyond being just a sugar substitute, adding taste and aromas with its deliciously velvety texture every time it’s used. You’ll find it in all Chalkiadakis stores and at cretacellar.gr.
- Coconut oil. Coconut oil grows hard during the winter and liquefies during the summer, so the state in which you find it in your jar shouldn’t worry you. I usually use cold-pressed oil. You could substitute it with olive oil, but it may change the taste of the apple bars.
- Chia seeds. Besides being a superfood, they help bind the mixture.
- Spices. What goes best with apples? All the spices remind us of autumn, like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
For the chocolate topping
- Tahini.
- White petimezi by Cretan Nectar.
- Cocoa.
Tips & storage
- You can use other types of flakes besides oat flakes, too, like buckwheat flakes or millet flakes.
- You can store them in the fridge for 3–4 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
- I used a square oven-safe brownie tin that was 20 by 20 centimetres in size. You can make them in a long and thin cake form or any other oven-safe tin.
- The dosages below make 14–16 small square bars.
- In order for the parchment paper to effortlessly stay on the bottom of your tin, you can crinkle it and put a few drops of water in the bottom of the tin before you line it with the parchment paper. That way, it won’t move around.
- Instead of boiling the apples, you can simply puree them, but these 12 minutes of boiling not only soften up the egg but also extract all of its sweetness.
Ingredients for 12–15 square bars
- 2 apples, peeled and diced
- 60 g tahini or almond butter
- 60 g coconut oil
- 40 g white petimezi by Cretan Nectar
- 240 g oat flakes
- 40 g chia seeds
- 2 ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
Ingredients for the chocolate topping
- 60 g tahini
- 20 g white petimezi by Cretan Nectar
- 5 g cocoa with 12% fat
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 180°C.
- Line a square oven safe vessel that’s 20 by 20 centimeters with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Boil the diced apple in a pot for 12 minutes.
- During this time, the apple will have softened and grown sweeter. Remove from the fire and strain it.
- Return the apples to the pot while hot, add the white petimezi, the almond butter, and the coconut oil, and puree with an immersion blender.
- Add the oat flakes, the chia seeds, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, and the cloves in a large bowl and mix.
- Add the liquids from the pot into the bowl and mix well until homogenous.
- Move the mixture to the baking vessel and spread well, pushing down.
- Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting into square bars.
For the topping
- Mix all the ingredients well in a bowl.
- Spread on the bars right away and enjoy.
PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
25 mins
TOTAL TIME
45 mins
