• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

An Oregon Cottage logo

  • Recipes
    • Best Dessert Recipes
    • Easy Salad Recipes
    • Easy Side Dish Recipes
    • Homemade Bread Recipes
    • Sourdough Recipes
    • Homemade Soup Recipes
    • Pantry Basics Recipes
    • Simple Dinner Recipes
    • Simple Slow Cooker Recipes
    • Simple Snack Recipes
  • Canning & Preserving
    • Canning Recipes
    • Dehydrator Recipes
    • Freezing Produce
    • Fermented Food Recipes
  • Easy Gardening
    • Yard & Garden Tour
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Flower Gardening
    • Gardening Tips
    • Ultimate Vegetable & Fruit Guides
  • Remodeling & DIY
    • 1900 Farmhouse
    • 1982 Ranch-turned-Cottage
    • Simple Crafts & Handmade Gifts
  • Shop
    • Flexible Planner, Cookbooks, Ebooks & More
    • An Oregon Cottage's Amazon Shop
    • Shopping and Gift Guides
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Organic Gardening
  • DIY & Remodeling
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Get my newsletters + access to a library full of printables!

    Home » Blog » Whole Food Recipes

    October 20, 2016 | By Jami

    Whole Grain Oat Apple Butter Bars

    Jump to Recipe

    Lightly sweetened whole grain apple butter bars are made with whole oats, whole wheat flour, and delicious apple butter, making them a healthy snack. Versatile recipe can use any fruit jam, butter, or sauce to make different variations.

    Check out the Simple Cookie Recipes page for more easy recipes.

    Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars stack

    Easy whole grain apple butter bars are full of good-for-you ingredients but still taste like you're eating a cookie, which is the best kind of a win-win, isn't it?

    We like these for desserts (especially paired with a scoop of vanilla), snacks with afternoon tea, and even occasionally for Saturday breakfast. Hey, they're way better than a doughnut!

    Healthy Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    Oat Bar Variations

    Of course fruit-in-the-middle crumb bar cookies can be made with any fruit jams or spreads. I've made them with strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry jams and even a version with rhubarb butter and they're equally good.

    I also love using up leftover cranberry sauce around the holidays to make a batch of these to add to our goodie bags.

    But using homemade thick and spicy apple butter that is sweetened only with maple syrup is really one of my favorite ways to make these. And they're just about perfection in the fall!

    Make Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    Making whole grain apple butter bars

    It's super easy to just add all the ingredients - except the apple butter - to a mixing bowl and then stir it together until all the butter pieces are incorporated.

    Press about half of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan and evenly spread the apple butter (or jam) onto the unbaked crust.

    Baked Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top, covering completely and pressing down lightly, before baking and cooling.

    Easy Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    Even though these are typically considered a cookie I think they make a great homemade substitute for all those "fruity" (I use the word loosely here) granola bars sold in the stores because they are made with much better ingredients (like you can pronounce them all…). This is a truly healthy snack right here.

    Make-Ahead Tip

    You can even wrap them individually and freeze them and if you put them in the kid's lunches in the morning, they will be thawed by the time lunch rolls around.

    Delicious Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    And you will know every good ingredient in them and feel good about serving them any time.

    Healthy Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars

    Whole Grain Apple Butter Bars are so easy and so delicious - they're equally good as a dessert or a perfect healthy snack. Lovely in the fall or any time of the year!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time45 minutes mins
    Course: Cookies
    Cuisine: American
    Yield: 16 bars
    Author: Jami Boys

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups rolled oats
    • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
    • 3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 3/4 cup butter
    • 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans optional
    • 1½ cups apple butter*

    Instructions

    • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 8 or 9-inch square pan or line with parchment for easy lifting and cutting.
    • In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, salt, soda, cinnamon, and nuts, if using. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
    • Press half of the mixture (about 2-1/2 cups) into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the apple butter evenly over the top and then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the apple butter, pressing down gently.
    • Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until lightly browned.
    • Cool in pan on a wire rack before cutting into 16 bars (or 12 bars for a granola bar size).

    Notes

    *Variations: Spread the base with another type of fruit butter or jam:
    • blackberry bars
    • pear butter bars
    • strawberry bars
    • cranberry sauce bars
    NOTE: Nutrition facts calculated with optional walnuts.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1bar | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 120mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @anoregoncottage or tag #anoregoncottage!

    Note: This was originally published in 2010 and has been updated with all new photos, formatting and printable recipe for your convenience.

     Other Healthy Recipes to Try:

    Healthy No-Bake Fudge Oatmeal Bars

    Healthy No-Bake Fudge Oatmeal Bars

    Flourless Coconut-Almond Bars with Chocolate Drizzle - An Oregon Cottage

    Flourless Coconut-Almond Bars

    Whole Wheat Skillet Blackberry Cobbler

    Whole Wheat Skillet Blackberry Cobbler (a 10-minute prep recipe)

    About Jami

    Since 2009 Jami Boys has been helping readers live a simple homemade life through whole food recipes, doable gardening, and easy DIY projects on An Oregon Cottage. From baking bread, to creating a floor from paper, to growing and preserving food, Jami shares the easiest ways to get things done. She's been featured in Cottages and Bungalows, Old House Journal, and First for Women magazines as well as numerous sites like Good Housekeeping, Huffington Post, and Apartment Therapy.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Carolyn chaney says

      November 10, 2021 at 12:39 pm

      Should the butter be softened?

      Reply
      • Jami says

        November 15, 2021 at 9:52 am

        If it's easier to mix - I use a stand mixer which kind of softens butter as you use it. This isn't like biscuits where you need the butter cold, if that's what you were asking.

        Reply
    2. Michelle Marine says

      October 21, 2016 at 5:56 am

      Beautiful, Jami. I'm sure my kids would love this. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jami says

        October 24, 2016 at 9:32 pm

        Thank you, Michelle. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Nicole says

      March 08, 2010 at 5:30 pm

      These look delicious!

      Reply
    4. Jami@ An Oregon Cottage says

      March 06, 2010 at 5:27 am

      Jenelle- It worked fine in these bars. They were a little more crumbly than when I use brown sugar, but the flavor was about the same. I'd use it again, if I can ever get over the fact that this little bag was $3.99! At that price, I'm not going to be able to use it very often.

      Reply
    5. Jenelle says

      March 05, 2010 at 6:39 pm

      I was wondering how you liked the sucanat? I've read about it, and though about using it, but have never actually tried it.

      Reply
    6. affectioknit says

      March 05, 2010 at 4:50 pm

      Those look so good - we love apple butter!

      Reply
    7. Mum in Bloom says

      March 05, 2010 at 2:56 am

      These look delish! I made something like them not long ago using applesauce and the kids went crazy for them. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Jami Boys headshot

    Hi, I'm Jami and I'm so glad you're here! My desire is to help you live a simple homemade life through delicious whole food recipes, easy organic gardening and preserving your harvest.

    Read More →

    Popular Posts

    • Easy, Soft 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread Tutorial
    • cabbage wedges on white plate with sauce and chives
      Roasted Cabbage Wedges with Onion Dijon Sauce
    • Easy Sourdough Artisan Bread Recipe (Ready in 1 Day)
    • Original Brown Paper Floor Tutorial: A DIY Alternative to Wood Floors
    • Basket of fresh green beans
      How To Freeze Green Beans The Easy Way Without Blanching
    • 5 Reasons To Grow Cucumbers On A Trellis (And Taking Up Less Space Isn't One Of Them)

    ALL OUR CATEGORIES

    • Mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Terms of Use & Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Collaboration & Advertising

    Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Disclaimer: All Content Provided On An Oregon Cottage Is For Informational Purposes Only. The Owner Of This Blog Makes No Representations As To The Accuracy Or Completeness Of Any Information On This Site Or Found By Following Any Link On This Site.

    Copyright © 2009-2023 An Oregon Cottage | No Content On This Site, Including Text And Photos, May Be Reused In Any Fashion Without Written Permission.