Blackberry Crumble Bars

These blackberry crumble bars are a salty-sweet delight! And with no refined sugar, and the option of being gluten-free as well as vegan, they really are a crowd pleaser. We used our late Summer blackberry hoard for this recipe, but raspberries would also work really well, or even fresh or frozen sweet super-ripe cherries. You could also play around with the nut butter that you use for the crumble mixture (as long as it's nice and runny), but we find that almond butter is relatively easy to find and works really well with the blackberry. 

Make a batch of these and keep them in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. Perfect paired with a cuppa or heated and served with custard - YUM!

Makes 10-12 | Equipment Needed: Food Processor, 20 x 20 Baking Tin

Ingredients

3 Cups Oats (GF if needed)

1/2 Cup Ground Almonds

1/3 Coconut Oil 

1/3 Maple Syrup

2 TBSP Almond Butter

Good Pinch Sea Salt

2 Cups Blackberries (ideally fresh, but frozen works too if excess liquid is drained)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan). Line the banking tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a the food processor and make a rough flour. 
3. Warm the coconut oil, almond butter and maple syrup in a mixing bowl in the microwave, or in a pan over a low heat for a minute or 2. Mix and combine well. 
4. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the food processor with the rough flour until a sticky dough is formed. 
5. Put 1/2 cup of the dough aside. Press the rest of the dough down in to the tin and prick with a fork all over. Bake the dough for 10 mins.
6. Meanwhile, place the blackberries in a large bowl and mash with a fork until a chunky compote consistency is formed. (If using frozen berries, defrost by covering in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain and mash. Drain any excess liquid from the mixture.)
7. Add the mashed berries to the top of the baked dough, then crumble over the remaining mixture which you kept aside. 
8. Bake for a further 20 mins, or until golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely in the tin before removing and cutting into bars or squares.
9. Keep in an air-tight container. 

ENJOY!