It’s come to my attention that some people don’t like peanut butter… I don’t understand it myself but you can of course use almond butter, cashew butter or even sunflower seed butter in the crumble mix. The peanut butter flavour isn’t too powerful and it’s the cheapest of the options so it’s a win win to give it a whirl!
The key to a jam that sets is letting your frozen berries thaw (because fresh in that volume are just far too pricey!), and drain off the excess juice. Of course pour it in to a jar or jug or glass and swirl it in to yogurt or use it in a smoothie bowl or if you’re like me and love the tartness just straight up drink it!
The ingredients are as basic as they get; and if you really really don’t want to make your own chia jam you can just use whatever awesome jam you like to buy. I’d highly recommend St. Dalfour for a a beautiful naturally sweetened preserve and there are a whole host of combinations to choose from.
If you choose to make these in an 8 inch square tin I’d opt for cutting them into 9 squares or 8 bars. I went with 16 mini squares and a slightly thinner bar by using a 9 inch square tin for a change!
Recipe created for Chia Bia. This is not a sponsored post.
Strawberry Chia Jam Oat Crumble Bars
Print RecipeIngredients
- *For the Chia Jam*
- 500g frozen strawberries
- 5 tbsp Chia Bia whole chia seeds
- 4 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- *For the Crumble Base and Topping*
- 80g coconut oil, melted*
- 80g smooth all natural peanut butter*
- 80ml maple syrup
- 50g soft brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 250g porridge oats
- 100g ground almonds
Instructions
Place frozen strawberries into a pot over a medium heat. Heat until soft, roughly mash with a fork or potato masher.
Stir in the chia seeds and maple syrup or honey. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Line an 8 inch (or 9 inch for thinner bars) square tin with baking paper and lightly grease with butter or oil.
Mix together the peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup and brown sugar in a bowl.
Add the ground almonds and oats to the bowl.
Mix well to combine.
Place ⅔ of the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread evenly and pack down with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove and spread the now cooled and thickened chia jam over the base; the chia jam can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a couple of days.
Sprinkle over the remaining crumble topping.
Bake in the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before slicing. I prefer to cool and chill them so they’re more sturdy. They can be stored in the fridge for up to five days in a sealed container or freeze for up to one month. They can be served warm or chilled.
Notes
*You can use all coconut oil or you can use butter to replace the coconut oil, peanut butter or both. Once you use 160g worth of fat total!
