Strawberry Oat Crumb Bars

Healthy, easy, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, vegan dessert/breakfast/snack

I've been seeing a lot of posts for strawberry oat bars and was inspired to make my own! I mean, how can you resist? I love fruit desserts and am super picky about any dessert, but especially fruity ones. They can't be too gooey or sweet because I want a lot of fresh whole fruit in them. The crust has to be flaky but not crumbly and baked to a golden brown without being over-baked. Now, you might think the same thing or think I'm crazy but everyone is picky one way or another. Never the less, these bars are perfect! The homemade chia seed jam sets it over the top! And of course these bars are good enough to eat for a snack or breakfast because you can never go wrong with a little dessert with breakfast.

I used strawberries, but you could honestly probably use any fruit and they would still be amazing! Even though these are gluten-free and vegan, they don't lack in flavor and leave you still craving a traditional oat crumb bar. These bars are subtly sweet and have just the right amount of tartness to make them irresistible. The crust holds well when slicing and serving, but then crumbles and melts right in your mouth; the crumb topping is chewy and crumbly just as it should be. The jam filling is sticky and tart and the chia seeds add even more texture.

Some things to remember when making this dessert: make the jam filling before you start anything else that way it has time to set up slightly in the fridge; the crumb topping doesn't brown very much, so be careful to not over-bake the bars; and the recipe requires a good blender or food processor in order to make the dough for the crust and crumb.

Now for the recipe:

Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars

Yield 9 servings

Ingredients:

For the jam filling:

4 cups frozen strawberries

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

a pinch of salt

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust and crumb topping:

3 cups oats, any style

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon almond butter, no salt or sugar added

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, stir together strawberries, maple syrup, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Mash up strawberries and stir in chia seeds. Turn heat down to medium-low and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken, stir frequently.

2. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Transfer to a heat safe bowl and place in the refrigerator to firm up more while prepping crust/crumb.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with coconut oil and set aside.

4. In a large food processor or blender, combine oats, walnuts and salt until a flour like consistency is achieved. Set aside

5. Melt coconut oil in the microwave. Immediately whisk in almond milk, maple syrup and almond butter until throughly mixed. Pour wet mixture into the food processor or blender with the dry mixture and pulse until a sticky dough ball forms.

6. Remove half the dough mixture and press in an even layer into the bottom of the baking dish. Using a fork, poke holes into the crust to ensure even baking, about 12 times.

7. Pre-bake crust in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour strawberry filling mixture over crust and spread evenly. Crumble up the rest of the dough on top of the strawberry filling and place back in the oven. Bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until lightly golden. Be careful to not over bake!

8. Cool slightly before lifting out of the baking dish. Allow to finish cooling completely on a wire cooling rack. Slice into 9 even bars and enjoy! Best eaten within two days or place in the freezer for up to a month and enjoy whenever you need a sweet treat.

Comment and let me know how yours turns out!