Capsaicin Free Maple-Ginger Pear Crumble Bars
Warm pears, fragrant ginger, and rich maple syrup come together in a bar that feels like autumn in every single bite. The filling is cooked down on the stovetop until glossy and jammy, so the fruit is perfectly tender rather than watery or raw beneath that golden crumble top. Both the crust and topping are built from the same oat-and-rice-flour mixture, which means less fuss and a beautifully cohesive texture that holds together when you slice. For anyone avoiding capsaicin, these bars are a genuinely satisfying treat — there's no hidden heat lurking in spice blends or "warming" extracts, just clean, naturally sweet ingredients from start to finish. Tapioca starch does double duty here, lending structure to both the dough and the filling without any gummy or starchy aftertaste. The parchment sling makes lifting and slicing a breeze, and the bars are just as good the next day once the layers have had time to settle together.
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Learn more →Ingredients
9 servings
For the crust and crumble
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¾ cup rice flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into ½-inch cubes
For the pear filling
- 3 medium ripe pears (about 1 ½ lb), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides to use as handles for lifting the bars out later.
- 2
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, rice flour, tapioca starch (the 1/4 cup amount), baking powder, and salt. Scatter the cold butter cubes over the dry mixture and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, clumpy crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Drizzle in the 1/3 cup maple syrup and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together into a crumbly, slightly sticky dough.
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