Gut Friendly Maple-Ginger Pear Crumble Bars
Warm spiced pears, a glossy ginger-maple filling, and a buttery oat crumble layered into a handheld bar — this is the kind of baking that makes your kitchen smell absolutely incredible. Fresh ginger and pure maple syrup do the heavy lifting here, bringing natural sweetness and a gentle heat that feels both comforting and a little sophisticated. The base and topping are built from rolled oats, rice flour, and tapioca starch, which means the whole thing stays light and easy on the digestive system without sacrificing that satisfying, crumbly texture. Cooking the pear filling down on the stovetop first is the secret move — it concentrates the juices into a thick, jammy layer that holds together beautifully when you slice the bars. No refined flours, no corn syrup, no mystery additives — just whole, recognizable ingredients that your gut will actually appreciate. These bars are sturdy enough to pack for a snack and special enough to serve as dessert, which is a rare and wonderful thing to find in a single recipe.
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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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