Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars (vegan & gluten free)

An overhead view of the whole batch of bars, on white parchment paper.

Healthy Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars (vegan & gluten free)

Deliciously sweet & crumbly, these family friendly Blueberry Crumble Bars are easy to make, healthy, and suitable for babies and toddlers.

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Course: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 35

For the homemade chia jam: 15

Total Time: 40

Servings: Bars

Calories: 177kcal

Author: Yasmin

Equipment

1 Baking Tin 8x8inch
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Saucepan
2 Wooden Spoons

Ingredients

For the Blueberry Chia Jam

2 cups Blueberries fresh or frozen
2 tbsps Maple Syrup
2 tbsps Chia Seeds
1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice about half a lemon

For the Oatmeal Crumble

2 cups Oat Flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
⅓ cup Maple Syrup
⅓ cup Sunflower Seeds
⅓ cup Coconut Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

For the Blueberry Chia Jam

Add the blueberries, maple syrup and lemon juice to a saucepan.
2 cups Blueberries, 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice, 2 tbsps Maple Syrup
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.
2 tbsps Chia Seeds
On a low heat, cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool fully 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.

For the Oatmeal Crumble

Pre-heat your oven to 180c/350f.
Next you'll need to line your baking tin with parchment/baking paper.
Mix the oats, oat flour, sunflower seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well combined
2 cups Oat Flour, 1 cup Rolled Oats, ⅓ cup Maple Syrup, ⅓ cup Sunflower Seeds, ⅓ cup Coconut Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
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.
Spoon the blueberry jam over the base, and spread out until you have a thick even layer.
Then top the jam with the remaining ⅓ of the crumble mixture.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown.

Notes

Chia 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.

Making your own oat flour - place some rolled oats (or instant oats) into a blender or food processor. Then blitz them until they resemble a fine flour, which usually takes about 60 seconds. 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.

For babies - If giving these bars to babies (18 - 24 months), chop the sunflower seeds in to smaller size pieces before adding to the crumble mixture.

Nutrition