Vegetarian Maple-Ginger Pear Crumble Bars
Warm spiced pears, earthy oats, and a double hit of pure maple syrup make these crumble bars the kind of thing you'll want to bake on a slow weekend and then immediately hide from everyone else in the house. The filling comes together in a single saucepan, where fresh ginger and butter coax the diced pears into a glossy, jam-like consistency that's deeply fragrant and just sweet enough. A tapioca starch base keeps the whole thing gluten-free-friendly while giving the crust that satisfying snap when you bite in. The clever two-thirds-one-third split of the dough means you get a sturdy bottom layer and a crumbly, golden topping from the exact same bowl — less fuss, fewer dishes. Everything here is straightforwardly plant-friendly, relying on butter, oats, and real maple syrup rather than anything processed or hard to source. Once cooled and sliced into nine neat bars, they hold together beautifully, making them just as easy to pack up and share as they are to eat straight off the rack.
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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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