Description
Healthy Peach Crisp Bars are gluten-free and vegan, with only 10 ingredients, including hearty oats and chia seeds. They’re also sweetened with just maple syrup and coconut sugar, and packed with four cups of peaches!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 cups chopped peaches (about 6–8 medium-sized peaches)
- 4 tablespoons white chia seeds
For the crisp:
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup natural almond butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, virgin, cold pressed
Instructions
- Prepare the filling: Add the peaches to a medium-sized sauce pan and bring to a low boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until softened. Remove from heat and mash with a fork or potato masher just enough to break the peaches apart but leaving some chunks. Stir in chia seeds, cover and set aside for 20 minutes. (The chia seeds will plump up and thicken the filling).
- Prepare the crisp base and topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, almond flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon and salt. Set aside. In a small microwave safe bowl, add the almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil and microwave on two 30-second intervals, stirring after each one. Everything should be melted together and the mixture should be runny. If not, microwave for another few seconds. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir until wet and crumbly. You should be able to pinch the mixture together with your fingers.
- Assemble the bars: Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a 9×9″ pan with parchment paper. Press about two-thirds of the crisp mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, spread on the peach filling and sprinkle the remaining crisp mixture on the top, patting it down slightly. Don’t worry if it doesn’t fully cover the top. Return to over and bake for another 25 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.
- Serve and store the bars: Serve the bars warm with dairy-free ice cream, or let them cool at room temperature and then place them in the refrigerator to firm up fully before cutting into squares. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days, or freeze for later enjoyment.
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen peaches, just make sure they are peeled and chopped.
- This recipe calls for white chia seeds, but you can use black chia seeds. Just keep in mind they will make the peach filling look darker.
- To keep these bars gluten-free, make sure you use gluten-free oats.
- If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use brown sugar as a substitute.
- To make these bars grain-free, you can substitute buckwheat flakes for the oats.
- To cut these bars out neatly, I recommend placing them in the refrigerator for a few hours to firm up.
