Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars

These easy Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars have a buttery oat and walnut crust, jammy and sweet cherry layer, and a golden brown crumb topping. All while being vegan and dairy free.

This recipe took me five tries to get right. Count ’em 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

When I thought about making a Cherry Pie Bars recipe, I thought, pshhhhh man this will be easy. A little crumble, a little cherry, a little more crumble on top. No problemo (pats self on back).

Oh how my confidence brought me to my knees.

The final score was Cherry Pie Crumble Bars: 4, Laurel: 1.

BUT, that last win was the perfect most ideal delicious delightful ending, because these cherry pie bars are everything I was hoping for! Sweet, crumbly and caramelized dough hugging a slightly tart and deeply cherry-flavored jam filling. Melt in your mouth. Perfectly sweet and tart. And effortless to bake.

Reasons to love this recipe:

• Made with 8 simple ingredients!
• One dough recipe doubles as a perfect crust and crumble topping!
• It’s naturally sweetened, vegan, and gluten free.
• Very easy to make while being impressive!
• Bars keep well in the fridge for up to a week of delicious snacking :)

What ingredients are in Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars?

It’s a simple list that creates BIG flavors!

• Chopped almonds or walnuts – we’ll toast them for a couple of minutes in the oven to bring their flavors to life!
• GF oat flour – I like Bob’s Red Mill brand or often grind my own from whole gluten free oats
• GF oats – for a nice chewy texture
• Salt
• Maple syrup
• Coconut oil – you could use vegan butter (or regular butter), too. I would not recommend swapping for a liquid oil like avocado or grapeseed
• Pitted cherries – I use frozen
• Arrowroot starch – to thicken up our cherry layer to the perfect consistency.

How do you make gluten free cherry pie bars?

Do a quick 6-minute toast on your nuts of choice to bring out the flavors. Spread them out on a pan, into the oven, and set a timer for 6 minutes. When you smell them, they’re done.

Next, stir all the dough ingredients together. Be sure that the coconut oil is well distributed. Get in there with your hands if needed.

Press 3/4 of the dough into you pan. Lay a second piece of parchment paper over the crust so you can really press it down without the mixture sticking to your hands. Bake until golden brown.

Meanwhile, simmer the cherries in a sauce pan. Use a potato masher to break them into smaller pieces. Add in your starch to thicken and pour the cherry mixture over your crust.

Top with crumbles of the remaining dough, bake again, and let cool before slicing. The hardest part!

Cherry Pie Crumble Bars

• Author: Laurel
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 bars 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

These easy Gluten Free Cherry Pie Bars have a buttery oat and walnut crust, jammy and sweet cherry layer, and a golden brown crumb topping. All while being vegan and dairy free.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the crumble dough:

• 3/4 cup chopped almonds OR walnuts
• 2 cups gluten free oat flour
• 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut oil

For the Cherry Pie Filling:

• 4 cups pitted cherries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper.
2. Spread the almonds out on a sheet tray. Bake for 7 minutes or until fragrant and golden.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the oat flour, quick oats and salt. Add in the maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir the mixture together, being careful to incorporate the coconut oil. Get in there with your hands if needed. The mixture should hold together when pinched and there should be no stray flour in the bottom of the bowl.
4. Add in the walnuts, and stir to combine.
5. Press 2/3 of this mixture into your prepared pan. Using an extra piece of parchment paper, press mixture down firmly into an even layer, pressing to get rid of any cracks and form one solid piece.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.
7. While the crust is baking, add the frozen cherries into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the cherries are defrosted and the sauce is simmering. Use a potato masher to gently break the cherries into smaller pieces.
8. Remove from the heat and add in the arrowroot starch mixture. Return to the heat and bring back to a simmer.
9. Pour the cherry mixture over the baked crust and sprinkle on the remaining crumble. Bake, uncovered, for 14 to 18 minutes, until the topping is lightly firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 45 to 60 minutes. Lift out the slab and slice it into squares or bars.
10. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days, or wrapped up and stored in the freezer.

Notes

If you can’t find gluten free oat flour, you can process any gluten free oats in a food processor until a fine flour forms.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 234
• Sugar: 16g
• Sodium: 52mg
• Fat: 14g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 25g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 4g

Keywords: gluten-free, vegan, pie, cherry, crumble, crisp, healthy, coconut oil, bar, dessert, Spring, Summer,