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)
Has anyone made these with a flour other than almond? I can’t possibly read all the comments and most of them are just “omg, these look so good!” anyway :) I really wish ONLY people who’ve tried a recipe or have recipe related questions would comment.
I have raspberry chia jam waiting to be used. . . . .
im going to try this with just oat flour some day as i ALWAYS have oats on hand but rarely have almond flour. a few of angela’s other recipes that call for almond flour AND oat flour i have just replaced the almond flour with more oat flour and they have turned out amazing. so no, i havent made this particular recipe without almond flour but maybe soon. let me know if you do try it!
O M G. this is just WAY too good. i had it for dessert last night and breakfast this morning! i thought the crumble would be a lot harder to make than it was. and i have been wanting to make this jam since the cookbook came out! would there be an easy sub for the jam to make these into date squares?
I really cannot think of sharing mine with anyone!
This is georgeous!
So my friend and I just made these and we had to make a pact not binge on the delicious outcome! Love!!!
Looking for a quick jam recipe to use a berry medley in my freezer and am staring hard at this recipe.
Yep, going for it.
Just made these and they are soooo yummy!!
Looks so amazing! Can’t wait to try!
I just made these….so good! Thanks Angela! :)
I made this over the weekend, for afternoon tea with my in-laws and they loved them. The flavour combination goes perfectly with a good cup of tea! Thanks Angela.
LOVE these! I adjusted some of the ingredients a bit (all oat flour, no almond flour), topped with hemp seeds, used strawberries instead of raspberries and agave instead of maple syrup — they are the best! THank you for inspiring me to make these and so much more!
Angela-
I made these last night. Both of my kids loved them so much, they each had three squares for breakfast! Great job! I love the fact that not only the ingredients are healthy but they are not too sweet. I’m always cutting down the amount of sugar in recipes by at least half but this one had just enough sugar. Thank you!
P.S. Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Welcome to reals of motherhood!
Oats have always been a part of my morning routine for a long time now. Lately, I’ve been searching for a new recipe that’s tasty and healthy, and this will definitely help me out, and it’s a bonus that it’s gluten-free. Thanks.
I made these as one of a few desserts for my sister who couldn’t have nuts or dairy and they were delicious!!!! I am a chocoholic and rated these above some of the chocolate ones! I saved a bit of the raspberry jam to have later. Will be making these again soon :)
This looks so delicious. I am really wanting to make it but I’m intolerant to both almonds and rice. Are there things I could use in place of the brown rice syrup and almond flour?
Sooo I was thinking about making the jam on its own. (the bars with the jam are amazing!) but if I wanted to make just raspberry jam (per your recipe) do i need to keep it in the fridge? Would you do anything else to it?
Thanks so much for your yummy recipes!
Hi Irene, I made just the jam as is in the recipe. It keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks.
These are in the oven right now. Of course, the various pieces of the puzzle didn’t make it into the pan without making it into my mouth first, and I have to say Hot Damn I am looking forward to eating these! I was part of this Fresh Start 21 Day Cleanse and everyone who finished has bought your cookbooks. After making several of your recipes from online, your cookbook is first on my Must Have list. Thank you so much for these wonderful recipes!
Quick question: Have you ever tried making these with a different fruit? I have a big bag of peaches to get rid of.
Made these for a quick breakfast addition and love them!! They are so good and keep really well in the frig. I am looking forward to trying different fruit options, and love the idea of substituting peanut butter in the crust…..
Just made these for my daughter and I, we both loved them! They were easy to prepare and make a great breakfast or snack!
So I finally made your chia seed jam recipe with strawberries. Let me just say, SO GOOD! Jam is okay to me, an occasional treat, really, but this jam is so tasty that I’ve been eating it by the spoonful like pudding. I don’t want it on anything or with anything else because it’s too good on its own. I didn’t expect this, but somehow the chia seeds make it even better. Loving this so much. Thanks.
Hi! I have attempted to make this recipe 2 times and measured to a t each ingredient. By the time I add the 1/2 cup of oat flour it is a crumbly mess with no stickiness to it. I have tried increasing wet ingredients / decreasing dry but end up throwing away and wasting a lot of food. Thoughts? Advice? Has anyone had this happen and found a solution.
Mine wasn’t as sticky as the recipe said it would be but I made it anyway and it’s delicious!