Easy homemade breakfast or snack bars that travel well, freeze well, and come together in a snap.
With only two of us in the house, when you make a pan of anything, it’s usually too much. That’s why I love these Low-Sugar Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars. They freeze so well! I can make a regular size pan, cool it, and cut it into twelve perfect-size bars to eat whenever I feel like it. And, unlike many of the bars you buy in the grocery store these bars contain zero additives, preservatives, or artificial colors; just wholesome ingredients you recognize… and are good for you!
These Low-Sugar Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars are….
- High in fiber
- A good source of Vitamin C
- Fairly low in sugar
- Can be made gluten free (if you use certified gluten free oats)
- Can be made vegan if you use a coconut oil or 100% plant-based margarine instead of butter
- Crumbly like a fruit crisp – but not too crumbly
- Easy to make
- Easy to freeze
- Tart, sweet, cinnamony, and a tiny bit salty
Cooking Tips
- The oats. You will need to use quick oats for this recipe or grind old-fashioned oats to the “quick oats” size. Whole rolled oats won’t hold together well.
- The fruit. I’ve made these bars with strawberries, frozen raspberries, and a combo of strawberries and rhubarb. I imagine you can make them with almost any fruit as long as you get the texture of the compote right. You want the compote to nicely coat and stick to a spoon, without most of it dripping off. Because different types of fruit have different amounts of water in them, you might need to add a little more or a little less cornstarch to get the texture right.
- In a hurry? You can also make these bars using low-sugar jam. They won’t be as healthy but they’ll still taste great. If you do that, skip step 1.
- Freezer tips. Cut the bars when fully cooled. I store four bars together in a sandwich bag (squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can), laid flat in the freezer. Defrost before eating. Frozen bars will keep 3-6 months in the freezer.
What’s your favorite healthy bar recipe? I want to know! Please send me an email. I’d love to chat with you.
Peace, love and good eats, from our empty nest to yours.
Trending in the EN Kitchen: Gluten free oats purchased at our local Meijer store
Mr. EN’s Take on This Recipe: “Love these bars. I like them for dessert with a spoonful of vanilla yogurt (or whipped cream if my wife will let me) on top.”
Low-Sugar Raspberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars
Yield 16 bars
Easy homemade breakfast or snack bars that travel well, freeze well, and come together in a snap.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups quick oats
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼-1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup margarine, coconut oil, or butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
- ¼ teaspoon almond flavoring
Filling
- 12 oz. (about 2.5 cups) fresh raspberries, washed
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 ½ tablespoons water, divided (see step 1)
- 2 ½ tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- Make the filling: Add the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water to a saucepan. Bring to a low boil and boil 5 minutes, stirring to prevent scorching. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Whisk together the corn starch and 2 ½ tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch slurry to the raspberries, stir well, and simmer 5 more minutes until mixture thickens. Set aside while you make the crust and topping.
- Grease an 8X8 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Put 1 cup of the oats in a food processor or blender. Blend until fine like flour. Mix with remaining 3/4 cup quick oats and ¼ cup almond flour. Add baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
- Melt butter, margarine or coconut oil. Add vanilla and almond flavoring to melted oil. Mix with dry ingredients until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Press 2 cups of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread evenly and press to form crust. (Reserve the remaining oat mixture for the topping.)
- Spoon the filling over the crust and spread to edges. Top with the remaining oat topping.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool, chill for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator, then cut into bars.
Notes
- Don't be afraid to play around with the filling texture adding more or less corn starch. You want it to be like jam, just a little looser.
Leave a Reply