These Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars are gluten-free, vegan, naturally sweetened, and exceptionally healthy.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

Whew, that’s a long list (^^) of food-related adjectives. Basically, I’m giving you the green light to indulge in as many of these Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars as you like. With food this real, there’s no room for guilt or eater’s remorse.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

These delicious bars are a direct result of a recently developed, and strongly unwelcome, gluten intolerance. As a result, I’ve had to re-learn how to cook and bake using gluten-free ingredients. The struggle has been real, friends.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

I feel like I’m pretty much starving all the time because I have no idea what to eat. I’ll eventually conquer this challenge in my life, but at the moment I’m busy with life and preparing for vacation. When I return home from Chicago next week, I plan on hitting the books hard and doing some research on gluten intolerance and how best to manage the issue.

Until then, I’ll remain perpetually hungry.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

I’ve never been more thankful for my very large stash of Diamond of California nuts. When they sent me a year’s supply of nuts a few months ago, I had no idea how I was going to tackle the massive pile of nuts sitting in the middle of my living room–I was literally swimming in pecans, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, and cashews. Remember Disney’s A Christmas Story when Scrooge was swimming in his vault of money? That was me, only I was doing the back stroke in a towering pile of bagged tree nuts.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

My stash has been dwindling by the day, because I’ve basically been living off toasted pecans, Apple Pie Overnight Oatmeal, Chai Spiced Granola, and all the Honey Almond Butter Mini Granola Cups for the past few weeks. All the nuts. All the time. Om, nom, nom, nom right in my face.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

Now that these Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars have entered the picture, I’ve been munching on them for breakfast and lunch on the daily.

The bottom layer is hearty mixture of gluten-free old-fashioned oat, Diamond of California Pecans, coconut oil, a small amount of maple syrup for sweetness, and a hint of cinnamon. A layer of creamy almond butter and sweet strawberry jam gets spread over top and sprinkled with a layer of oat streusel.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

These bars are sure to spruce up any lunch box.

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars {Gluten-free, Vegan, Naturally Sweetened}

Strawberry Almond Butter Crumb Bars

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats, certified gluten-free
  • 1 and 1/2 cups pecans, divided
  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and divided
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch of kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 flax egg, see notes
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons strawberry jam

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan with parchment so that it overlaps on each side.
  • Add 1 1/2 cups oats, 1 cup pecans, cinnamon and pinch of salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Add 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, flax egg and vanilla extract to the bowl. Pulse until the mixture forms a loose dough ball (it will be sticky). Transfer the dough into the baking pan. Using your fingers, firmly press the mixture into an even layer.
  • Using a rubber spatula, evenly spread the almond butter over the oat mixture. Evenly spread the strawberry jam on top of the almond butter.
  • Without cleaning the food processor, add the remaining 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup pecans, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Pulse until the mixture forms a coarse crumble. Evenly sprinkle the crumble over the strawberry jam layer, gently pressing the crumble into the jam.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 3o minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely. Slice.
  • The bars will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days. If storing in the refrigerator, allow the bars to sit out for 15 minutes to come to room temperature before enjoying.

Notes

  1. To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water; stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes before using.
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Disclosure: Thank you to Diamond Nuts for sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting my site while I work with brands I use in my kitchen.