Artificial Food Coloring Free Pear Crumble Bars with Cinnamon and Cardamom
Warm pear, cinnamon, and cardamom come together in these golden crumble bars for a dessert that feels like autumn in every bite. The filling is cooked down on the stovetop until the juices thicken into a glossy, jam-like coating, so each square is perfectly set rather than soggy or runny. Coconut sugar and pure maple syrup bring all the sweetness here — no dyes, no synthetic colorings, nothing artificial hiding in the mix. That matters more than you might think, since plenty of packaged bars and fruit-filled pastries sneak in color additives to make the filling look brighter or more uniform. Every ingredient in this recipe is exactly what it says it is: real fruit, whole oats, rice flour, and warm spice. The oat-and-rice-flour base doubles as both crust and crumble topping, so you get that satisfying contrast of tender pear filling against a buttery, slightly crisp layer on top and bottom. These bars slice cleanly once cooled and are just as good the next day, making them an easy make-ahead treat you can feel genuinely good about.
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Learn more →Ingredients
9 servings
For the crust and crumble
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
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Nature's Path Organic Whole Grain Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - 18 Oz - ¾ cup rice flour
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ½ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
For the pear filling
- 4 medium ripe pears (about 1 ½ lbs), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- 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, stir together the rolled oats, rice flour, coconut sugar, Ceylon cinnamon, cardamom, and salt until evenly combined. 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 maple syrup and toss with a fork until the mixture just holds together when pressed.
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