Description
These Strawberry Crumble Bars feature a buttery oat and almond crust topped with a luscious, homemade strawberry filling. Perfect for dessert or a sweet snack, they combine fresh fruit with a crunchy crumble topping baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
Scale
For the crust and topping:
- 1 ½ cups (168g) packed fine almond flour (do not use almond meal)
- 1 ½ cups (138g) oat flour
- ¾ cup (71g) oats
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) melted and cooled salted butter (or sub vegan butter or melted coconut oil)
- ⅓ cup (104g) pure maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries, diced
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (or sub vanilla extract)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Prepare the Crust and Topping: In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, oat flour, oats, and salt using a fork. Add melted butter, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract, stirring until a crumble forms and dough begins to clump. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture for the topping and press the rest evenly into the bottom of the pan using your hands.
- Bake the Crust: Bake the crust for 10 minutes until set but not browned, then remove from the oven.
- Make the Strawberry Filling: While the crust bakes, place a medium pot over medium heat. Add strawberries, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, and almond extract. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens and strawberries release their juices.
- Assemble and Bake: Pour the strawberry filling over the baked crust and spread evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle the reserved crumble topping over the filling. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the filling bubbles along the edges and the topping is golden brown.
- Cool and Serve: Let the bars cool completely in the pan to set; you can refrigerate them to speed up cooling. Once cooled, cut into 16 bars. Serve plain or with vanilla ice cream for a delicious dessert or snack.
Notes
- To make these bars nut-free, substitute the almond flour and crumble with the crust and crumble from a blueberry pie bar recipe that doesn’t use nuts.
- Using parchment paper and nonstick spray ensures easy removal without sticking.
- Allow bars to cool fully before cutting to prevent them from falling apart or use the fridge to cool faster.
- Feel free to substitute coconut oil or vegan butter for dairy butter to make the recipe vegan friendly.
- For a different fruit twist, try raspberries or mixed berries instead of strawberries.
