Summary

Prep: 10 mins
Cooking: 25 mins
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 12 bars

Oats are amongst the most nutrient dense foods you can eat.  They are loaded with slow release carbs (you’ll be full for longer) and packed with fibre.  They’re one of the only grains that contains proteins and fats, and their nutritional profile includes iron, zinc, magnesium and Vitamin B1.

We’ve made our bars with almond nuts, but if you need a nut free version (for example if you are serving these to a lot of children who may have nut allergies) we recommend replacing the nuts with sunflower seeds and the almond butter with sunflower seed butter.

Sunflower seeds, contain the natural fats needed to replace butter, and still turn out a moist and delicious snack. If you choose to use almonds, you’ll be giving yourself a boost of antioxidants, Vitamin E and magnesium.

You can make these oat crumble bars by using any jam you prefer. We also recommend out homemade raspberry and chia seed jam which is totally refined sugar free. The chia seeds will also make these snack bars a nutritional powerhouse.

They would also be yummy with strawberry, apricot, blackberry or fig jam…or you could use our homemade apple sauce for a healthy version of apple crumble.

Ingredients

• 1 cup strawberry jam (or our homemade raspberry chia seed jam)
• ¾ cup almonds (100 grams)
• 2 ½ cups oats (220 grams)
• 1 cup oat flour (90 grams)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 large dates (about 80 grams)
• ½ cup virgin coconut oil
• ¼ cup maple syrup (60ml)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Spread almonds out over a baking tray and roast for 10 minutes.  This step is optional if you’re pressed for time.
3. Soak the dates in a small cup of boiling water for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
4. Line an 8 or 9 inch pan with baking paper.
5. In a food processor add the oats, almonds, salt and oat flour. Blend until a flour like consistency is achieved. Dump everything into a large mixing bowl.
6. Put the coconut oil, maple syrup, almond butter, vanilla extract and dates into the food processor and blend until they form a smooth brown paste.
7. Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine. It should be moist, with no dry bits. If it seems to dry, add water a teaspoon at a time until it’s all slightly moist.
8. Put ¾ of the mixture into the pan. Spread it out evenly along the base, and pack it down with the back of a spoon. Poke holes all in the dough using a fork and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before spreading jam evenly over the surface of the baked base.
10. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top of the jam, and bake for a further 15 minutes. The top should be golden.
11. Allow the bars to cool completely before lifting the slab out the pan with the baking paper and cutting into squares.

Jam crumble with oats – our step by step guide:

Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Spread your almonds (or sunflower seeds) out over a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes or until they start to release a nutty aroma.

Roasting the nuts can make them sweeter and richer in flavour but this step is optional.

Place your dates in a small cup of hot water to soak while you get on with preparing the base to your bars.

Tip your oats, almonds, salt and oat flour into the bowl of a food processor and blend until you get a flour like consistency.

You want to be sure that the almonds are well chopped, as this will release some of their oil, ensuring that your bars are nice and moist.

Once your mixture is fine enough, tip it all into a large mixing bowl and set it aside.

Take your dates out of the water and remove the seeds.

Now put your coconut oil, almond butter, dates, maple syrup and vanilla extract into the food processor.

Blend it until you have a smooth brown paste.

Mix your date paste with your oat mixture.

Get a wooden spoon and turn it all over a couple of times.

It should be thick and moist.

If it seems dry in parts start adding water one teaspoon full at a time. Don’t be tempted to add a large quantity of water in one go. You’ll be surprised how little it takes to get a thick smooth mixture

Spread ¾ of the mixture into your pan, leaving a little bit of the baking paper showing at the edges.

Press it all down firmly with the back of a spoon and then poke holes all over the surface so that the air can be released and you don’t get bubbling.

Also, the holes will allow a little bit of your jam to seep into the base, making it nice and sweet.

Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Take it out and let everything cool down for a few minutes.

You don’t want it to be smoking hot when you apply the jam layer or your jam will turn to syrup.

Now spread your favourite jam all over the base in a thick layer with a spoon.

You can spread it quite thickly, because well…jam!

Now crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top of the jam and pop it back in the oven to crisp up.

It should take about 15 minutes on the top shelf.

You want the top of the crumble to be nice and golden.

After your bars have cooled off, release them from the pan, by pulling up the whole slab by the baking paper.

Cut them into squares and enjoy a healthy guilt free snack!

Have for breakfast, snack or dessert!