For a patriotic summer spin on a yummy breakfast or dessert, try these gluten-free blueberry strawberry oat crumble bars.
A while back, I made blueberry oat crumble bars because I had a lot of blueberries on hand. I didn’t make them for the blog, so I forgot to take a bunch of photos of them right away. Instead, they were almost gone before I decided to snap a few pics and write a post.
Hence, the less than stellar feature photo on this post for Blueberry Oat Crumble Bars. A few days ago, I decided I would remake the bars and update the post with better photos. The only problem was I should have grabbed two boxes of blueberries instead of one. I didn’t have quite enough to make them.
What I did have were luscious strawberries galore, thanks to a great sale at Kroger.
So I stuck some strawberries in the pan and called it patriotic (think Yankee Doodle).
Seriously, this would work with any kind of berry, and I think peaches and blueberries would be awesome. I LOVE fresh peaches in the summer! I want to hear from you, if you try that!
These bars make for a yummy breakfast or, when topped with ice cream, a delicious summer dessert.
Remember, if you are making these for someone who can’t have any gluten, look for oats that are specifically gluten free. Regular oats are typically cross-contaminated with wheat. My go-to brand for GF products is Bob’s Red Mill because they’re great quality but not as expensive as some brands. Here’s an *affiliate link for Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats, if you want to order them from Amazon.
In summertime, I crave fruity desserts because they’re lighter and they use the produce of the season.
Without further ado, here’s the recipe:
Gluten-free Blueberry Strawberry Oat Crumble Bars
INGREDIENTS:
Crust and Crumble Topping
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned whole-rolled oats (don’t use quick cook or instant, they’re finer and behave like flour and will make mixture too dry)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
pinch salt, optional and to taste
Fruit Layer
6 ounces (1 cup) blueberries
6 ounces (1 cup) sliced strawberries
4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. Lining the pan helps with cleanup and is recommended.
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the oat flour, oats, sugars, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will be dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces.
- Set 1 heaping cup mixture aside to be sprinkled on later as crumble topping.
- Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
- For this step, you can either mix the two fruits with sugar and lemon juice separately or together. I chose to separate them. In one bowl, mix blueberries with two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice. In another bowl, mix strawberries with two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Alternate rows of sliced strawberries with rows of blueberries on top of the crust, or if you’re not into taking the time, mix them all together and evenly distribute them over the crust.
- Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heaping 1 cup crumble topping mixture.
- Bake for about 55 minutes, or until edges are set and center has just set. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden. Bars may take longer than 55 minutes if berries are very juicy. Watch your bars, not the clock, when evaluating doneness. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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