A blog reader recently emailed me hoping to see a gluten-free version of an oldie but goodie blog recipe – the popular Healthy Strawberry Oat Bars from way back in 2010. There’s something about this time of the year that makes me crave jam-filled oat crumble squares (or really, any kind of baked good, who am I fooling!), so she didn’t need to twist my arm. Not only is this version gluten-free, but it uses coconut oil instead of vegan butter (reduced by about half!), and showcases a new and improved crispy topping. The topping gets crunchy and golden, almost like a granola. Wowzers. My Raspberry Chia Seed Jam recipe was used for a reduced sugar option, but you can use any store-bought or homemade jam you see fit. The beauty of the oat square is that you can change up the flavour significantly just by swapping out different flavours of jam. I think a peach version would be nice too. I made a cinnamon peach chia seed jam a few weeks ago and it was delicious!
Joanna, this one is for you, and anyone who appreciates a classic jam + oat combo! These are healthy enough to start your day with, and delicious enough for an end of the night treat.
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Raspberry Oat Crumble Squares
Yield
12 squares
Prep time
Cook time
Chill time
1 hour
Total time
Reminiscent of a Nutri-Grain bar, these squares are vegan, gluten-free, and filled with a delectable raspberry chia seed jam. They require a good period of cooling before they are ready to be sliced—otherwise they may crumble a bit, as they’re very delicate while warm. Feel free to use 1 cup of your favourite store-bought jam in place of the chia seed jam if you are tight on time; this recipe comes together so fast if using store-bought jam (or previously made and cooled chia seed jam)! Oat squares adapted from my Healthy Strawberry Oat Bars.
Ingredients
Raspberry Chia Seed Jam (or 1 cup store-bought jam):
- 3 cups (350 g) frozen or fresh raspberries
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) pure vanilla extract
For the squares:
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) chia seeds
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) water
- 1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) brown rice syrup
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (68 g) gluten-free oat flour
- 1 cup (100 g) almond flour (not almond meal)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (with overhang so it’s easy to lift the slab out later).
- For the jam: In a medium pot, stir together the raspberries, maple syrup, and chia seeds until combined. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the raspberries break down and the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and into the freezer for about 20 to 30 minutes, to hasten the cooling process.
- For the oat squares: In a small mug, mix together the chia seeds and water to make a chia egg. Set aside for a few minutes until thickened.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted oil, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and vanilla. When the chia egg has thickened, stir that in, too.
- One by one, stir in the rolled oats, oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt until the there are no dry patches left. The dough will seem too dry at first, but if you keep mixing, it’ll eventually come together!
- Set aside 1 packed cup of dough for the crumble topping.
- Spoon the remaining dough into the prepared pan. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough and press down to spread the dough out evenly, until it covers the entire base. Or, in lieu of parchment paper, simply use lightly wet hands to press the dough down.
- When the chia jam has thickened and cooled, pour all of it (about 1 cup) on top of the oat mixture and spread it out evenly. If using store-bought jam instead, spread on 1 cup.
- Crumble the remaining cup of dough over the jam layer.
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is semi-firm to the touch.
- Place the pan directly on a cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes, and then place it in the fridge until completely cool (about 30 more minutes). Slide a knife around the edges. Carefully lift out the slab and slice into squares.
- Store any leftover squares in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
Oh wow – that looks sooo good! I’m thinking a plum version with the healthy plum compote I made. I’m inspired to add some cinnamon too after your peach-cinnamon suggestion. Yum! x
That looks amazing! I wonder if you could you apples instead of raspberries? I’m taking the kids apple picking next week and we’ll have more apples then we’ll know what to do with!
For sure! See this post for my apple chia seed jam recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/09/05/sugar-free-apple-pie-chia-seed-jam-breakfast-parfait/
Perfect! I will definitely try that out. Thanks!
I can’t wait to make these!! My mom is coming to visit and it’s a perfect dessert to offer….plus test out for Thanksgiving week! Thanks again for another awesome recipe :)
These look amazing Ange! You were one of the first people to get me into making chia jam and now, I’d never go back to the conventional kind. I’ll be making these for sure!
These will be perfect for the last batch of rasberries my parents picked from their bushes! I’m visiting this weekend. Thanks!
wow – I was JUST looking in my freezer and I had a couple of the strawberry squares that I forgot were in there and need to be eaten up. I absolutely love them! I also was looking at my bag of raspberries which my family does not like in smoothies so I recently made a chia jam with them but it is almost gone – was thinking I need to make more to use up those raspberries. This is PERFECT! Thank you so much Angela! Another delicious treat to start the day thanks to you!
These look SO good. I’m happy you’re back in the kitchen!
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I plan to go hiking on Halloween weekend, so this will be great! (I have food allergies and am veggie and gluten free, so it’ll be nic to have snax other than nuts or fruit to share.) re: pregnancy: You are now in great company! The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting! But I’ll bet she doesn’t have to deal with a broken stove – but you didn’t have to deal with the uber-severe morning sickness! So, in your own ways, you are amazing troupers – and inspirations to us all!
Oh my! Yesterday I made fig chia jam. And you made this! How fortuitous…
The taste of these is fantastic. I love the jam and plan on making some peach jam for toast. I made these squares and the oat mixture never got sticky… it was very dry. I probably should have added some more brown rice syrup? Not sure. Because the oat mixture was dry, the top “crumble” isn’t really a crumble, and I think there is too much crumble for jam. I’m still going to eat the entire pan because it tastes delicious, but will be making adjustments to the next batch. Om nom nom.
Wow, this sounds great! Love how they are gluten-free, egg-free and dairy-free! Great dessert for wheat, egg and milk allergies.
These are delicious!!! I didn’t have any brown rice syrup, so I substituted maple syrup and they turned out great! Had them as a snack before bed last night and then as breakfast this morning :)
Holy crap! These are good!
By the way I added 2 tablespoons of hemp hearts for extra omega 3s and protein!
Awesome recipe! I did it with peaches (fresh from the market). Also I used brown rice flour instead of almond flour so I could send it as a treat to school with my son.
I just made these tonight. Oh wow, so delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe.
These look great! I’m new to this site and excited to try some of the recipes. I’ve found chia seeds but no luck with the rice syrup or almond flour (I’m in Germany so it’s possible that I am not looking for the right name in German!). Just wondering if anyone has had success using substitutes for these? Would (barley) malt extract would work as it is certainly sticky/binding?
Yes, I substituted more maple syrup for the brown rice syrup. I also made my own almond flour by blending 1 cup of almonds (blended until it was powder and stopped as soon as it started to clump). They turned out great!
Thanks Heather – really appreciate you taking the time to reply. That’s great to know – ground almonds I do have (so guess I’ll just blend them some more) and maple syrup is easy :)
We have a nut allergy in the family. Is it possible to substitute something else for the almond flour?
Sounds delicious but wondering if you could leave out the coconut oil or substitute something other than oil.
This looks so good! I’m going to have to make these, but right now I’m all about fall produce. Maybe and apple version? Thanks for the recipe!