Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars (Vegan & Gluten free)

Deliciously sweet and crumbly, these family friendly Blueberry Crumble Bars are easy to make, healthy, and suitable for babies & toddlers aged 18 months and up. They're great as a snack, a dessert or a quick & easy breakfast. Made using only 7 ingredients, most of which you'll already have in your pantry.

Jump to:

• Are blueberry crumble bars healthy?
• How to make your own oat flour
• What You'll Need
• Crumble Ingredients
• Blueberry Chia Jam Ingredients
• Equipment
• How to make the blueberry chia jam
• How to make the crumble bars
• Substitutions & Variations
• How to store blueberry crumble bars
• Recipe tip
• Recipe
• More sweet treat ideas
• Comments

Are blueberry crumble bars healthy?

I like to try and create healthier versions of treats for my children, so that they can enjoy things like brownies, cookies and muffins, without me worrying about them not getting enough of the nutrients they need.

These blueberry crumble bars contain chia jam, which is a well known nutrient dense food. Chia seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids (brain health and nerve function), iron, calcium and fiber. If you use our homemade Blueberry Chia Jam, it's also much lower in sugar than any store bought variety, which is another tick on my 'keeping kids healthy' checklist. We also have recipes for Raspberry Chia Jam and Strawberry Chia Jam which can be used instead.

Another ingredient I've added to these bars to boost their nutritional profile is sunflower seeds. They have such a mild flavour that they can easily go undetected. The fact that this recipe also doesn't contain any nuts, makes them a great lunchbox treat for nursery and school.

How to make your own oat flour

By using oats instead of plain flour, these crumble bars are naturally gluten free. However, for those with Coeliac Disease, please check the labeling on your oats to ensure that they are free from gluten. 'The issue is that sometimes oats are produced in the same place as wheat, barley and rye, and then become contaminated with these other grains' (source: coeliac.org.uk).

You can buy it from a store, but it's incredibly easy to make your own. Just place some rolled oats (or instant oats) into a blender or food processor. Then blitz them until they resemble a fine flour – that’s it! By making your own you save money and the flour will last up to three months in an airtight container, such as a jar. 
The ratio for oat flour is one cup of oats to one cup of oat flour, so it’s very easy to measure out.

What You'll Need

Crumble Ingredients

• Blueberry Chia Jam - See below for the ingredients and instructions on how to make our homemade jam. Alternatively you can use a store bought jam. If you want to add chia seeds to a store bought jam, simply measure out the jam and transfer to a separate bowl. Stir in the chia seeds and 2 tbsps water, and mix well. Then use in this recipe as per the instructions.
• Coconut Oil - Coconut oil is used in place of butter in this crumble. Like butter, it turns to a solid at room temperature, which is what helps to stick the oats together to form the bars. It's also what helps get those golden brown crispy crumble bits on top.
• Maple Syrup - A natural sweetener commonly used in health focused recipes.
• Oats - We use rolled oats in this recipe, but you could easily also use instant oats.
• Oat Flour - You can buy store bought oat flour, or make your own. To make you own, follow the instructions in the 'How to make crumble bars gluten free' section above the ingredients photo.
• Sunflower Seeds - A great way to get more goodness in to the kids without changing the flavour or texture. You could also use chopped pumpkin seeds as well as, or instead of the sunflower seeds. Either way, using seeds helps to keep these nut-free and therefore lunchbox friendly.
• Vanilla Extract - You can use vanilla extract, essence or paste. The quantity remains the same with whichever of these you choose.

Blueberry Chia Jam Ingredients

• Blueberries - you can use fresh or frozen blueberries to make jam.
• Chia Seeds - they contain omega 3 fatty acids (brain health and nerve function), iron, calcium and fiber, which make them a great food to include in your diet. The chia seeds are also used to thicken the jam, instead of high amounts of sugar and cornflour.
• Lemon Juice - Use fresh lemons, not the bottled stuff. Feel free to add some lemon zest to the jam as well for a more summery vibe.
• Maple Syrup - We only lightly sweeten our jams, and the tastiest way to do this is with maple syrup. Alternatively you can use another liquid sweetener such as agave or date syrup.

Equipment

• 8x8 Baking Tin
• Mixing Bowl
• Saucepan
• Wooden Spoon x2 (one for making the crumble, and one for making the jam)

How to make the blueberry chia jam

Add the blueberries, maple syrup and lemon juice to a saucepan.

Cook on a medium-low heat for 10 minutes until the blueberries begin to soften and breakdown. Stirring often to avoid any berries sticking to the pan.

Add the chia seeds and stir well.

Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool before transferring the jam to a glass jar for storing..

The jam will thicken a little more whilst it's cooling, thanks to the chia seeds (see photo 6 above).

How to make the crumble bars

These are actually really easy to make, and you probably already have everything in your pantry. You simply stir all your ingredients (minus the jam) together in one bowl, until everything is well combined. And then layer it all in the baking tin before popping in to the oven. 

First things first, you need to pre-heat your oven, and line your baking tin with parchment/baking paper.

Next, mix the oats, oat flour, sunflower seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well combined (see photo 2). Then transfer ⅔ of the crumble mixture in to your baking tin.
Using the back if a spoon or your fingers, firmly even out the oats to cover the base of the baking tin. Being sure not to leave any gaps (photo 4).

Hint: Be sure to pack the bottom layer down well. The more well-packed it is, the more stable the base of your bars will be.

You then need to spoon the jam over the base, and spread out until you have a thick even layer (photos 5 & 6). Then top with the remaining ⅓ of the crumble mixture (7).

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes, until the crumble is golden (photo 8) and your kitchen smells like a bakery.

Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few ideas in case you feel like adding a different flare to these blueberry crumble bars.

• Blueberry Jam- any berry jam works well in place of blueberry. Cherry, plum or blackcurrant are a few flavours that I'd highly recommend.
• Oat Flour- if you don't need/want to make these gluten free, you can switch the oat flour for regular white plain flour instead.
• Coconut Oil- if available to you, you can use cacao butter instead of coconut oil.
• Get nutty- some chopped pecans or almonds would go great with these. You can chop ⅓ cup of your chosen nut in to smaller pieces. Then either mix the nuts in with your crumble mixture in the bowl, or leave the nuts aside until your bars are ready to go in the oven, then generously sprinkle them over the top before baking.
• Add lemon- mix in the zest from 1 lemon to your crumble mixture to take this recipe up a notch.

How to store blueberry crumble bars

You can store these in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bear in mind that when storing, you will naturally lose some of the crunch that freshly baked crumble bars have.

I haven't tried freezing these but I would have thought they would work well being frozen. I would then re-heat in the oven for 15 minutes at 180c/350f once fully defrosted, to bring back some of the nice textures you get from freshly baked bars, and enjoy them warm.

Recipe

More sweet treat ideas