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Homemade Fruit & Oat Bars

Delicious real fruit filling bars made with a spiced vanilla oat base & crumbly topping
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Keyword: baked, breakfast, healthy, snacks
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
  • 1 cup all purpose flour see substitutions below
  • 1/3 cup sweetener of choice see notes below
  • 6 tbsp. coconut oil or butter melted
  • 1 tsp. corn starch
  • 2 cups fresh/frozen fruit or jam (I prefer frozen)
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. cane sugar divided, for topping
  • 1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ginger powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon powder
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla paste or extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375F. Grease an 8x8 pan.
  • In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (oats, flour, sweetener, spices and salt).
  • Melt coconut oil (or butter) and allow to cool slightly.
  • Add coconut oil & vanilla to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. You should be able to form clumps when you pinch the dough together.
  • Remove 3/4 cup of this mixture and set aside to be used for the crumb topping.
  • Press the remainder of the dough into a greased 8x8 pan.
  • Add fresh fruit, frozen fruit or even jam on top of this mixture.
  • Sprinkle half of the sugar on top of the fruit.
  • If using fresh or frozen fruit, evenly top the sugared fruit with tapioca or corn starch. Skip this step if using jam or jelly as it doesn't need assistance setting up.
  • Squeeze approx. half a lemon over the top of the fruit and starch.
  • With the remaining dough, crumble chunks all over the fruit. There should be fruit peeking through under the clusters of dough.
  • Sprinkle the remaining sugar evenly over the top.
  • Bake fruit and oatmeal bars at 375F for approx. 20-30 minutes. Top should be golden brown and set to the touch. Fruit should be thick and bubbly.
  • Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting to allow bars to properly set.
  • Store at room temperature on the counter top for 24 hours and then store in the fridge.

Video

Notes

This recipe is so versatile because it can be easily adapted; it works with whatever you have on hand.
You can use all coconut oil, all butter, all ghee, or a mixture. It truly works with whatever you have. If the mixture is too dry, add more butter/coconut oil. 
The sweetener can be cane sugar, coconut sugar, agave, honey or even monk fruit sweetener. The sweetener is for the dough. I like to use half honey and half sugar or coconut sugar. I like using two different sweeteners as it gives extra depth to these bars but they are genuinely delicious however you make them. 
The additional 2 Tablespoons of sugar should be divided. One tablespoon will go over the fruit base and the remaining one tablespoon will be sprinkled over the final bars before they are baked. 
The all purpose flour can also be substituted for almond flour. If the mixture is too dry, add more coconut oil 1 tsp. at a time.
Pretty much all fruit will work in this recipe. I've tried most fruits here and they are always delicious! 
If using fruit jam instead of fresh or frozen fruit, omit the starch step. The jam will already be thick enough on its own. Fresh and frozen fruit will need the cornstarch to create a filling that will thicken up and set once cooled.
If you use fresh fruit, mash it with a fork to release natural juices before spreading over the dough. Frozen fruit will naturally have more water content so I typically prefer using frozen as it creates the best thick filling. I did, however, use a combination of fresh blueberries and frozen strawberries for this particular batch.