Description
Vegan strawberry oat bars are perfect for summer! The GF crust doubles as the topping for a quick and easy dessert that travels well!
Ingredients
Crust/Topping:
- 2 cups quick or rolled oats (ensure certified GF if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Filling:
- 2 1/2 cups strawberries, diced*
- 2 1/2 tbsp cane sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- optional: 1 tsp lemon zest (can use frozen)
*Fresh Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare an 8×8” baking tin with parchment paper.
- Pulse the oats and nuts in a food processor until the walnuts are broken down into small bits. Add the remaining crust/topping ingredients to the food processor and blend until the dough is combined.
- Scoop all but ½ cup of the dough into the parchment lined 8 inch square baking tin. The parchment paper will allow you to lift the finished bars from the tin after they are done baking without any sticking! Slightly dampen your fingers to easily spread the dough into the corners and pack it down.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes and in the meantime, slice your strawberries and mix them with the filling ingredients. *If you don’t bake the crust it will be less firm because it will soak up lots of the liquid from the strawberries. Baking the crust longer than 10 minutes results in it being too firm to soak up any liquid and it will pool over the edges a bit. I found 10 minutes to be the perfect amount of time for a firm crust but one that still absorbs a bit of the excess liquid.
- When the crust is done remove it from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
- Spoon the strawberries over the baked crust. Then sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of dough as the topping (it will be sticky, that’s ok). Add another light dusting of cinnamon and ½ tsp cane sugar if desired.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the strawberries are bubbly and the topping is browned.
- Allow to cool in the tin for at least 20 minutes. As it cools the strawberry filling will solidify more. Lift it out of the tin using the parchment paper and once the filling has firmed up, slice into 9 bars.
- Serve with ice cream and our 5 minute homemade whipped cream for an even fancier treat!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $7.85 ($0.87/bar) vs. at least $2.50/bar if purchased out.
This recipe is gluten-free as long as you ensure your oats are certified gluten-free!
To use frozen strawberries you can follow the recipe as written and increase the baking time to 30 minutes. The crust does absorb more of the liquid and I find the strawberry filling to not be as thick but the bars are still delicious. Alternatively, cook the strawberry filling on the stovetop over low heat until thick and then add to the baked crust. Continue with the 20-25 minutes baking time. In this version the filling will be a little more “gummy” in texture but again, delicious.
If you don’t have a food processor you can try crushing the walnuts as small as you can and using either whole oats or an oat (or nut!) flour if you have some. The crust/topping may be crumblier but will still be tasty!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American