Cashew Free Pear Crumble Bars with Cinnamon and Cardamom
Warm spiced pears tucked between a buttery oat crust and a golden crumble topping — these bars are the kind of thing that makes your kitchen smell like a proper autumn bakery. The filling gets cooked down on the stovetop with coconut sugar, Ceylon cinnamon, and cardamom before a touch of tapioca starch pulls it into a glossy, jam-like consistency that holds together beautifully when sliced. Rice flour keeps the base tender and slightly crisp without any nut-based flours in sight, so there's zero concern about hidden cashew ingredients sneaking into the mix. Coconut sugar adds a gentle caramel depth throughout both the crust and the filling, while maple syrup helps the crumble clump into those satisfying, crunchy clusters on top. The parchment sling trick makes lifting and slicing the bars genuinely foolproof — just let them cool fully and they cut into clean, sturdy squares. These are equally at home on a weekend brunch spread or wrapped up as an afternoon snack, and they prove that a nut-free bake doesn't have to sacrifice any of the richness or complexity you'd want from a fruit bar.
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Learn more →Ingredients
9 servings
For the crust and crumble
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 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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