These gluten-free strawberry crumb bars make the perfect anytime snack. Deliciously sweet with the season’s freshest strawberries, these are the best way to celebrate spring and summer. They’re also dairy-free!
Crumb bars filled with strawberries and baked to a crisp
Now that it’s spring in the US, and strawberry season is in full swing, it’s time to eat and bake with as many strawberries as we can. Definitely one of my favorite berries ever (as well as raspberries and blueberries), strawberries are delicious both fresh or cooked.
In today’s recipe, we’ll be using fresh strawberries to make these absolutely addictive gluten-free strawberry crumb bars that Juan and I couldn’t stop eating (no kidding).
These amazing crumb bars feel just like eating strawberry crumble (one of our favorite desserts ever!) but in individual servings. They’re the perfect size for a snack and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth.
Preparing the strawberry filling
We’ll begin by preparing the strawberry filling mixture. First up, cut off the leaves of the strawberries and then cut them into small pieces.
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Next, combine the fresh cut strawberries, sugar, fresh lemon juice, and a tablespoon of gluten-free all-purpose flour in a bowl, mixing well and letting the filling sit for a while as you prepare the crumb dough.
Getting the crumb dough ready
As the strawberry filling sits, whisk the rest of the gluten-free flour, remaining sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
(Quick note: I use gluten-free all-purpose flour in this recipe, but you can replace it same quantities of with my homemade almond meal or homemade cashew flour).
Next, add the egg, vanilla, and solid coconut oil to the flour mixture and cut the coconut oil into small pieces (you can use a pastry cutter if you have one, or if you don’t, simply use two knives like I always do). Keep cutting at the flour mixture until you get a sand-like crumbly texture.
Making and par-baking the crust
Once the crumb dough is ready, transfer 3/4 of the crumb dough to a parchment-lined baking pan and spread it out evenly, pressing down the dough as firmly as you can with the back of a spoon. (Remember that the more compact you can make the crust, the better – which makes for a firmer crust and bar.)
Now with the crust firmly pressed into place, bake it for 10 minutes to “par-bake” it before we top it with the strawberry filling.
Assemble and bake
When the crust is done par-baking, we can now pour the strawberry filling over the crust and spread it out evenly, before sprinkling the rest of the crumb mixture in fistfuls over the filling.
Now let’s bake it for 30 to 35 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and crispy. 10 minutes before the end time, check if the crumb topping is becoming too brown (if so, simply cover with aluminium foil for the rest of the baking time).
Tip: Fully cool before slicing!
I tend to be anxious about slicing and getting a bite of whatever I’ve just baked and taken out of the oven. But I’ve learnt over the years that a little bit of patience now can really pay off in the longer run (especially when it comes to gluten-free baking!!). So nowadays I try to be as patient as I can, and let whatever I’ve just taken out from the oven cool down full before slicing.
Because of the coconut oil in the crust, it will harden and firm up as it cools. If you slice it too early, it may be too soft and fall apart (now you get why I say to let it fully cool, don’t you?)
Now that you’ve patiently waited, and the crust has cooled, slice into 12 squares and enjoy your bars. You’ve earned it!
Storage tips:
To store, keep the gluten-free strawberry crumb bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Now if you really love these (like Juan and I do!), you can bake a double or triple batch of these, and freeze them in the freezer for up to a month. This way you can enjoy these delicious snacks whenever you like!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you’ll also love:
- Strawberry Chia Seed Jam
- Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam
- Mixed Berry Coconut Yogurt Popsicles
- Gluten-Free Mixed Berry Crispy
- Gluten-Free Mini Mixed Berry Galettes
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Hand Pies
- Easy Blueberry Hand Pies
Gluten-Free Strawberry Crumb Bars (Dairy-Free)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
These gluten-free strawberry crumb bars make the perfect anytime snack. Deliciously sweet with the season’s freshest strawberries, these are the best way to celebrate spring and summer. They’re also dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups +1 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup solid coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 10″ x 7″ baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, combine the fresh chopped strawberries with 1/2 cup brown sugar, fresh lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon gluten-free all-purpose flour, then mix well and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the remaining 3 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour, the remaining 1 cup of brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Whisk until combined.
- Add the beaten egg, vanilla extract, and coconut oil to the flour mixture, and use either a pastry cutter (or two knives if you don’t own a pastry cutter) to cut at the coconut oil and the mixture until you get a sand-like crumbly texture.
- Scoop 3/4 of the mixture onto the parchment-lined baking pan and press the mixture down evenly and as firmly as you can with the back of a spoon.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes until lightly brown.
- Once the crust has been par-baked, pour the strawberry mixture over the crust and spread it out evenly to cover the whole surface. Sprinkle the rest of the crumb mixture evenly over.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown and crispy (if the crumb topping appears to be browning too quickly, cover with aluminium foil until the rest is cooked.)
- Allow the bars to cool completely before removing them from the pan and slicing them into squares.
Notes
Flour: In the recipe I used gluten-free all-purpose flour, but you can also substitute it with an equal amount of almond meal or cashew flour.
Coconut oil: You can replace coconut oil for an equal amount of cold butter (if you’re not lactose-intolerant) or non-dairy butter.
Strawberries: If you don’t have fresh strawberries on hand, you can also use 4 cups of frozen strawberries (just make sure to defrost the strawberries and drain the excess water before using). You can also substitute the strawberries or equal amounts of other fresh berries or 4 cups of frozen berries.
Adapted from: Iowa Girl Eats
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: gluten-free strawberry crumb bars
you have 2 ingredients that are not used in the directions – fresh lemon and 1 egg – I thought it was a mistake and included them in the mix and ruined the finished product
Hi Cheryl, I’m so sorry to hear that! Thank you for pointing it out, I’ve corrected the recipe directions to include the lemon juice (goes into the strawberry mixture) and egg (into the flour mixture) accordingly. Once again, I’m so sorry and thank you very much for letting me know 🙂 Have a great Sunday!
Thank you for sharing this lovely and healthy recipe, keep sharing this kind of recipes.
Hi Felicia,
This is a great snack to have for afternoon tea or small group gathering.
Just a question, can these be prepared earlier and kept in the fridge for much later serving, say the following day and still be as fresh? I think I will try it out first so that I know whether it can be prepared in advance.
Thanks again for the tip of having it fully cooled down before cutting.
Bless your heart with lots of love and hugs from home,
Mum
★★★★★
Hi mummy! Yes, you can prepare it in advance and let it chill in the fridge. In fact Juan and I did that, and the base of the bars firmed up even more after chilling so it made it even easier to hold them bars when you eat them 🙂 If you do make these let me know how they go! :))