Breakfastbar Apple pie date bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).

Place chopped apple on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, maple syrup, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and a healthy pinch sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Set aside.

In a food processor, (in mijn koffiemilen) grind nuts into a meal - a few chunkier pieces are OK. Then add dates and pulse (in kom en met staafmixer) until a loose dough is formed. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

Give the baked apples another chop with a sharp knife (ik heb het gewoon met staafmixer bij het andere deel gemalen, volg keer misschien een paar fruitstukjes heel laten) so the pieces aren’t so large. Slowly add apples a few Tbsp at a time until the mixture forms a moist dough. If your mixture got too wet, simply add more ground walnuts, almonds, or even a handful oats. Reserve leftover apples for other use (oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt, etc.)

Transfer mixture to parchment-lined loaf pan and spread evenly with a spoon or spatula. Top with plastic wrap and use fingers to press it firmly into all corners until uniformly flat on top. For extra thickness, cram the mixture into 3/4 of the pan and reserve a blank space. This will make less bars, but they will be much thicker. Cover and freeze to set.

Chop into desired number of bars - anywhere from 4-8.

To store, pack in a bag or container and place a piece of parchment between each bar so they don’t stick together. l keep mine in the freezer to stay fresher longer, but the refrigerator is fine, too.

If you’re traveling, they should be fine for a day or so. But keep them refrigerated or frozen otherwise.