Sesame Free Pear Crumble Bars with Cinnamon and Cardamom
Warm spiced pears tucked between a buttery oat crust and a golden crumble topping — this is the kind of bake that makes your whole kitchen smell like a cozy autumn afternoon. The filling gets cooked down on the stovetop with coconut sugar, Ceylon cinnamon, and cardamom before it ever hits the oven, so every bite is jammy, glossy, and deeply fragrant. Tapioca starch pulls the pear juices into a thick, luscious consistency that holds together beautifully when you slice the bars — no soggy bottoms here. Rice flour steps in as the base for the crust and crumble, keeping things light and slightly crisp without any of the hidden allergen concerns that can come with conventional baking mixes. Sesame has a way of sneaking into packaged granola bars and fruit-filled pastries, so making these from scratch with straightforward pantry staples means you stay completely in control of what goes in. The parchment sling trick makes lifting and slicing effortless, and the bars firm up even more as they cool, so patience pays off. These are equally at home as a lunchbox treat, an afternoon snack, or a casual dessert served slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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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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