Clean Eating Healthy Apple Slice {Perfect For Lunchboxes}

Looking for something scrummy for the kids lunchboxes? Need something...full of flavor, filling, sweet and soft but with a little crunch? Well wouldn't you know it! I have the best healthy apple slice recipe for you. Seriously, this is just...delicious :) This recipe makes 12 regular sized slices, or 9 slightly bigger ones. Big kids (& me!) will likely want the bigger slice.

Healthy Apple Slice

We eat these healthy apple slices on their own, mostly. They pack well, they travel well and they're really full of flavor so they don't need anything else. However, that said, we have on occasion, had this for dessert with custard, and you can get my Clean eating dairy free custard recipe here.

You could also have these with Peanut butter or Chocolate Ice cream. Either would be a hit in this house!

Healthy Baked Apple Slices With Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a big thing here. Huge. I use it in so many things, apart from the usual speedy Clean breakfasts for the kids right before they run out of the door for school. This is the oatmeal I use. It keeps its shape when you use it for baking or cook it, and is a little firmer than others I've tried.

Using oatmeal for the topping replaces the traditional 'crumble' you usually find on apple slices. I love the crunch it gives the apple slices, keeps them Clean and oatmeal is also used to create the base of the slice. And I do love a recipe that doesn't come with a list of ingredients as long as your arm, so the double use is good!

Healthy Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices

What can you use these slices for? Pretty much anything, but lunch-boxes are where these shine. They're filling and keep the kiddos going through till lunch, whilst being sweet enough to make them pretty appealing to even the fussiest kid.

I use a small amount of raw brown sugar for these (you can read why you don't need to quit all sugars when you're clean eating here) but much of the sweetness comes from the apples, which are deliciously caramelized when they come out of the oven.

I will tell you, the base of this healthy apple slice takes a while to set. I use coconut oil to create the base and since it's an oil and therefore melts totally when heated, you need to wait until this slice it totally cooled before cutting it. That way you'll get a nice clean cut.

Or...Ignore that completely and eat it hot straight from the oven, for pudding.

More Clean Eating Snacks

• Healthy flapjacks for kids
• Peanut butter oatmeal bar
• Oatmeal date bars
• Lemon blueberry bread
• Chickpea blondies
• Lemon curd loaf

Healthy Apple Slice Recipe

So...here it is!

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups Oatmeal - I use this one
• 4 medium apples diced - I peel the apples, if you don't mind the skin on, feel free to leave it on
• 8 tablespoon Organic coconut oil
• ½ cup Organic raw brown sugar - I use this one
• 1 tablespoon Cinnamon - optional
• Vanilla bean paste - I like this one
• ½ cup water
• I teaspoon cornstarch

Process

• Heat the oven to 190/375 temperature & line a 6inch square baking tin with parchment paper
• In a small pan, add the apples, cinnamon, vanilla and cornstarch. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. You want the apples to be cooked through but keep their shape. Stir often to prevent the mixture from burning. The sugars in the apples can cause the mix to boil quickly, so turn the heat down if this happens
• Your apple mixture is ready when the sauce has thickened. Take off the heat and leave to one side
• Melt the coconut oil gently and mix with the oats and raw sugar. *You can blend ¾ of the oats to create a flour, and then mix that with the unground oats and other ingredients if you want a 'smoother' base. I prefer not to do this and keep the oats whole
• Spoon ¾ of your oat mix into the baking pan and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Your base should be well compressed into the tin
• Pour your apple mixture on top of your base
• Sprinkle your remaining oat mixture on top of your apples (don't compress the top layer of oats)
• Bake for 30 minutes until your apple slice bars are a golden brown
• Let them cool completely before slicing
• Enjoy :)

How long will apple slices last?

These healthy apple slices will last for about 4 days, kept in the fridge. And you know what I found? The flavor tends to become more intense after a day or so. Not sure why, but these are definitely good for a few days. Make sure they're wrapped well in parchment paper or an airtight container before putting them in the fridge, so they don't dry out.

Can you freeze an apple slice?

I have frozen these, and I don't recommend it. Once the apple has frozen, it loses it's texture and just isn't the same. So yes, you could freeze these, but they're not going to be at their best when you take them out.

If you do freeze them, let them defrost thoroughly and then microwave them for 15 seconds before you eat them. Any longer in the microwave and the coconut oil will melt again and you'll have a sticky melted apple slice on your hands!