Sweet Cherry Oat Crumble Bars
Author -Yields: 9 bars
Ingredients
For the base:
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups oat light spelt, or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil such as grapeseed or refined avocado
- 1 cup applesauce
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
For the topping:
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup oat light spelt, or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil or butter
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed pitted dark sweet cherries, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly oil an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan.
- To make the base, mix the oats, flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the oil, applesauce, syrup, and non-dairy milk, then add it to the dry ingredients. Mix till well combined, the add the base batter to the square pan and spread it evenly.
- To make the topping, place the oats, flour, almonds, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter or oil and use your fingers to mix it together, until it's crumbly. Alternately, add the ingredients to a food processor and pulse till it's crumbly; if it's too dry in either case, add a tablespoon or two of water to achieve a crumbly texture.
- Spread the cherries over the base layer, then distribute the crumble topping over them. Transfer the baking pan to the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top and edges are golden brown. Allow it to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares (or hearts!) and enjoying.
Notes
To store, wrap the bars individually. They'll keep for up to 3 days or up to 5 days in the fridge. They can also be frozen for up to 4 weeks.