Moist oatmeal cake-like cookie bars filled with spiced apples.
Apple Oatmeal Bars
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
This post has been sponsored by #AppleWeek sponsors, but all content and opinions are my own.
Welcome back to #AppleWeek!
The giveaway goes on all week long so make sure you sign up at the bottom of the post (there will be a link).
Today I am posting my recipe for Apple Oatmeal bars. using Flahavan’s Irish oats and Rainier Fruit’s Honey Crisp apples.
And these are so good! They offer a little nostalgia for me as the remind me of the little Debbie snack cakes my Mom would buy at the bread store when I was a kid. You know the ones: round, with an apple filling? Appley things like that were always my favorite.
My brothers and I loved getting the Quaker instant oatmeal before school for when we weren’t having cereal or when Mom wasn’t cooking. We’d get the variety pack of flavors and the apples and cinnamon was the packet I’d always grab first. I loved it even more than other retro 60’s breakfast foodstuffs, like Quisp cereal, Carnation Instant Breakfast, or Tang.
Those of you much younger than I am have probably never even tasted some of those things. It’s like stepping into a Wayback machine. And admitting I was around then? I don’t necessarily feel older than the hills just yet, but definitely am at least a bump in the road.
And for those who know me, know that things that remind me of my childhood are bittersweet, since all of my brothers have now passed away and the only living soul left from that era is Dad.
And I know he’d like these too. He does much of his own cooking and baking now, but he really loves when I visit and cook up a storm. Perhaps a batch of these are in his future?
And here in Ohio, this kind of thing never lasts long. And tomorrow, when fall temperatures return, I don’t expect to see many, if any at all, of these left. The nip in the air just brings out pure primal hunger for fall foods such as apples, and for comforting foods such as oats.
So give them a try, and remember to take a peek at the recipe schedule below. There is an amazing lineup of recipes today, and at end, don’t forget to click the linkup to sign up for the giveaway if you have not already.
And don’t worry about me, I’ll be back tomorrow with a recipe for appelflappen, which are a Dutch version of apple fries that I have been enjoying for years on end as they make them every year at the Ohio Sauerkraut festival. Eating these long-loved autumn foods really gets me in the mood to pick apples, start thinking about pumpkins and decorating the yard up for Halloween.
Apple Oatmeal Bars

Filling Ingredients:
- 2 Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons apple cider or water
- 2 tablespoons flour
Cake bar ingredients:
- 7 ounces butter (1-3/4 sticks), cut into cubes
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups Flahavan’s Irish Oats or old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
- Prepare the filling by placing the chopped apples in a saucepan with the remaining ingredients except flour and cooking over low heat until they soften.
- Add the flour, using a sieve to sift it in if you can, and stir until mixture thickens; allow to cool.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
- Use a pastry cutter to mix in the butter cubes until crumbly and combined.
- Butter an oblong baking pan and press half the cake mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Top this with the cooled apple topping.
- Sprinkle the rest of the cake mixture over the apples.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Cool completely, then slice and serve.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Apple Week
Wednesday:
Apple BBQ Meatballs over Brown Rice from Tip Garden
Apple Butterscotch Crumb Cake from The Crumby Kitchen
Apple Cider Donuts from 4 Sons ‘R’ Us
Apple Coffee Cake from Bear & Bug Eats
Apple & Fig Flatbread with Goat Cheese from Simple and Savory
Apple Oatmeal Bars from Palatable Pastime
Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Apple Pie with Oat Crumble Crust from The Redhead Baker
Baked Oatmeal with Apple Cheddar and Sausage from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Braised Pork Roast with Apples from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Caramelized Apple Hand Pies from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Cheesy Brie and Apple Pull Apart Bread from Family Around the Table
Crunchy Apple BBQ Pork from The Freshman Cook
Easy Fried Apples With Cinnamon from Feeding Big
Fresh Apple Dinner Salad from Cooking With Carlee
Lamb Lolipops with Apple Herb Chutney from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Roasted Beet and Apple Salad from Amy’s Cooking Adventures
Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions from Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Slow Cooker Baked Apples from Jonesin’ for Taste
Sweet and Sour Apple Cabbage Salad from All That’s Jas
These sound wonderful but I am really happy that you are sharing the Dutch pancake tomorrow.
Not to disappoint, but the appelflappen I am sharing are the Dutch version of apple beignets. Luckily enough, I suspect you might be looking for this recipe: https://palatablepastime.com/2013/09/29/german-apple-pancake/
I also have a recipe for Dutch Baby with apple topping around here somewhere.
These look delicious! And we still have a thing of Tang in the cabinet. My husband loves the stuff. He grew up drinking hot tang and campouts and still drinks hot tang when he isn’t feeling well or wants a treat!