Gelatin Free Maple-Ginger Pear Crumble Bars
Warm spiced pears, fragrant fresh ginger, and a double hit of pure maple syrup make these crumble bars the kind of thing that disappears fast from any dessert table. The filling is thickened entirely with tapioca starch, which cooks down into a glossy, jam-like coating around the pears — no animal-derived setting agents needed, and no compromise on texture. The buttery oat-and-rice-flour base does double duty as both crust and crumble topping, so you get that satisfying golden crunch on the bottom and across every bite on top. Fresh ginger grated right into the pan gives the filling a bright, slightly spicy warmth that plays beautifully against the natural sweetness of ripe pears. Everything comes together in one bowl and one saucepan, which means less cleanup and more time to enjoy the incredible smell coming out of your oven. Let them cool fully before slicing and you'll get clean, sturdy bars that hold their shape and look genuinely impressive on a plate.
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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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