I grew up eating Halvah or Halva (both spellings are correct) candy. It is a Middle Eastern candy and you can find it right in the grocery store. I always had Joyva halvah from the refrigerated section. We’d have it plain, or the marble version or even chocolate covered. It was a favorite of my dads and I loved it. I didn’t realize until I was a young adult that a lot of people have never had it. Trust me on this, it is a delicious treat. When I became a food blogger, I set out to make my own and have since added three versions to this blog. But, I watched Molly Yeh on Foodnetwork start using it in recipes and I loved the idea. Apparently, she too, grew up enjoying this treat. That’s how these Halvah Apple Bars came to be.
For this recipe, you can use store-bought halvah or try my basic halva recipe and make your own. Either way, you are going to get a rich, delicious and interesting apple bar with this recipe.
To get started, gather all your ingredients together. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line an 8 by 8 inch square pan with parchment paper and have about a one inch overhang on two sides. This will help you lift out the baked dish when you are done.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt and beat on medium until pale and fluffy. Reduce to low, add both flours and mix to combine. Press evenly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, while you make the filling.
For the filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt and toss to combine. Arrange evenly on top of the crust.
Now make the crumble topping. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and mix with your hands until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the apples. Break up the halvah with your fingers and add to the top of the apples.
Bake until the crumbles begin to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan completely, about one hour and then slice into bars. I cut it down the middle and then cut each half into four bars. I like to serve this with some homemade whipped cream but this is perfectly delicious all by itself. The halva adds this nutty, creamy taste and texture to these bars definitely making it stand out from other apple cakes and bars. I love the flavor combos in this recipe and often work with apples in cakes and desserts. If you like it too, check out my Irish Apple Cake, and Gâteau Invisible (Invisible Apple Cake) recipes.
If you find yourself loving halva as much as I do, be sure to check out my chocolate covered halva and Israeli tahini halvah recipes. These homemade candy recipes aren’t difficult to make, they just require a good candy thermometer.
If you liked this recipe, be sure to leave a rating and comment below. Did you make your own halva or buy it? I’d love to know. Looking for other dessert bar recipes? Try some of my other favorites:
Halvah Apple Bars
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 12 Tbsp. Land O’Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil
- 1/4 Cup Lankato sugar substitute
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1/4 Tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 Cup Almond flour
- 1/2 Cup Whole wheat flour
FILLING:
- 1 Gala apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 1 Ganny smith apple, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 Tsps. Lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. All-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp. Swerve brown sugar substitute
- 1 Tsp. Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp. Ground cardamom
- 1/4 Tsp. Feshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 Tsp. Kosher salt
CRUMBLE:
- 3/4 Cup Almond flour
- 1/4 Cup Swerve brown sugar substitute
- 1/2 Tsp. Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 Tsp. Kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp. Land O’Lakes Light Butter with Canola Oil
- 4 Oz. Crumbled Halva
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8-by-8-inch square pan with enough parchment paper to have 1-inch overhang on 2 sides.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt and beat on medium until pale and fluffy. Reduce to low, add both flours and mix to combine. Press evenly into the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes, while you make the filling.
- For the filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice. Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and salt and toss to combine. Arrange evenly on top of the crust.
- For the crumble: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and mix with your hands until crumbly. Sprinkle all over the apples. Sprinkle on the halva. Bake until the crumbles begin to brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan completely, about 1 hour and then slice into bars.
