During a recent trip to the grocery store, I grabbed five plums and put them in my cart. I didn’t know what I was going to use them for, but I did know that I love plums, and they are the perfect summer fruit. I remember being at my beach house every summer growing up, and plums would always be sitting on the window sill. There is nothing better than biting into a juicy, ripe, red plum. That is definitely one way to enjoy them. Another way is in the form of these gooey crumble bars! Enjoy one for breakfast with your favorite yogurt, or for dessert paired with some vanilla ice cream. You really can’t go wrong!
Cardamom Plum Crumble Bars {Gluten-Free, Vegan}
These gooey crumble bars are a great baked good for summer celebrations! Pair with your favorite yogurt for breakfast, enjoy as a snack, or top with ice cream for a dessert. Gluten-Free and vegan.
Equipment
- Food processor
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- 8×8 baking pan
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1¼ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour or arrowroot starch
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
For the Filling
- 5 plums, pits removed and quartered (equals about 5 cups)
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon cardamom optional
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
For the Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup rolled oats gluten-free if necessary
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 3/4 cup cold vegan butter or grass-fed butter cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan and line with parchment paper.
- Make the crust. In a large bowl or stand-up mixer, combine the almond flour, coconut sugar, and tapioca flour or arrowroot starch. Stir to blend. Start beating on medium speed, slowly incorporating the melted coconut oil, increasing the speed and continuing to beat until a crumbly dough is formed. Gather the dough and press it firmly in the bottom of the baking pan (it should feel like damp, course sand and should stay compact when you squeeze it). Prebake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside until ready to use.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. In a food processor, combine the plums, coconut sugar, cardamom, and vanilla extract and blend until almost pureed. Add the arrowroot starch and process again, scraping down the sides as you need to until everything is incorporated.
- Transfer the plum mixture to the baking pan with the pre-baked crust, using a spatula to spread evenly to all sides.
- Make the crumble. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, almond flour, and coconut sugar. Stir to blend. Add the vegan butter and use your hands to “massage” it into the oat mixture until a crumbly dough is formed. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the cherry mixture.
- Bake for 30 minutes until crumble is crisp to the touch and plum filling mixture is bubbling. Allow the bars to completely cool at room temperature (about 2 hours) before transferring to the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours (or ideally overnight) to completely set*.
Notes
*If they aren’t able to completely cool and set in the fridge, they will fall apart. The consistency is gooey, so I suggest eating with a spoon or fork.
Storage: keep crumble bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Wrap individual crumble bars in plastic wrap for longer storage. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
