Early autumn is the perfect time for recipes that make the most of seasonal fruit, and these apple and blackberry bars are exactly that kind of bake.

They combine a buttery oat base with a soft fruit layer and a crisp crumble topping, creating something that sits somewhere between a traybake, crumble and snack bar.

The recipe is especially useful when apples and blackberries are plentiful. A mixture of apple varieties works particularly well because some pieces soften into the filling while others keep their shape, giving the bars a more interesting texture.

What You Need

The recipe makes 12 bars and takes about 10 minutes to prepare, followed by roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes of cooking.

For the base and topping, you will need 250g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing, 1 tsp anise seeds if desired, 220g plain flour, 95g rolled oats, 80g oat flour, 150g light brown sugar and ½ tsp fine sea salt.

For the fruit layer, use 750g apples, peeled, cored and cut into small cubes, 80g caster sugar, the finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 3 tbsp lemon juice, seeds from ½ vanilla pod or ½ tsp vanilla bean paste, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, a pinch of fine sea salt, 1½ tbsp cornflour and 300g blackberries.

Brown the Butter First

Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin, leaving enough baking paper over the edges to lift the finished bars out easily. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and continue cooking for around five minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Once the milk solids turn deep golden and the butter develops a nutty aroma, remove it from the heat. Stir in the anise seeds, if using, and leave the butter to cool briefly.

Heat the oven to 200C, or 180C fan.

Combine the plain flour, oats, oat flour, brown sugar and salt in a bowl. Pour in the browned butter, including the milk solids, and mix until the texture resembles damp crumbs.

Reserve around 350g of this mixture for the topping. Press the rest firmly into the prepared tin and bake for about 18 minutes, until lightly golden.

Make the Fruit Filling

While the base is baking, place the diced apples in a large frying pan with the caster sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla, bay leaf, cinnamon and salt.

Cook over medium-high heat for about five minutes. The apples should soften slightly without completely losing their shape. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp water until smooth, then stir it into the apples. Cook for another 30 seconds until the juices begin to thicken. Gently fold in the blackberries. Some should break down enough to tint the filling, while others should remain whole. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf before assembling the bars.

Assemble and Bake

Spread the fruit mixture evenly over the baked base. Take the reserved crumb mixture and squeeze portions together with your fingers to create irregular clusters. Scatter these over the fruit, leaving a few small gaps so the berries remain visible.

Return the tin to the oven and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden and the fruit juices are bubbling around the edges.

Allow the tray to cool completely before lifting it out and cutting it into 12 bars. Cooling is important because the layers firm up as they sit, making the bars easier to slice neatly.

How to Store Them

These bars will keep for up to three days in an airtight container. They also freeze well, especially when wrapped individually, making them convenient for packed lunches or quick desserts later in the week.

The browned butter gives the oat layers extra depth, while the apples and blackberries provide the right balance of sweetness and acidity. The result is a simple seasonal bake that works just as well with afternoon tea as it does served slightly warm for dessert.