One peach, almond flour, coconut oil and maple syrup. Six small bars from a loaf pan, and no refined sugar or wheat anywhere.
Two thirds down, one third on top
The same crumbly dough does both jobs.
Two thirds pressed firmly into the pan makes the base. Compression is what turns loose crumbs into something that holds together when sliced, so press hard with your hands rather than patting.
The remaining third gets formed into bigger chunks and scattered over the peaches, staying loose so it bakes as a crumble rather than a lid.
That contrast is the whole texture of the bar: firm base, soft fruit, craggy top.
Almond flour browns quickly
The source lists twelve minutes as the cook time and ten to fifteen in the method.
Use the range and watch it rather than the clock. Almond flour has a high fat and protein content and it colours faster than wheat flour does, so golden brown can arrive well before fifteen minutes in a hot oven.
Golden brown on the crumble is the cue. The base will still be soft at that point and firms as it cools.
Chop the peach small
One large ripe peach in small cubes.
Small pieces distribute across a loaf pan and soften in the ten to fifteen minutes available. Large chunks stay firm and release liquid into one spot, which makes the base soggy underneath them.
Ripe matters. An underripe peach will not soften in this time and stays sharp and crunchy.
No need to peel. The skin softens and adds colour.
Coconut oil binds as it cools
Two and a half tablespoons, which is the only fat.
Coconut oil is solid below about 76F, and that solidifying is what holds the bars together once they come out of the oven. It is doing the job butter would in a conventional crumble.
If your kitchen is warm and the oil is liquid, the dough will be looser. Ten minutes in the fridge before pressing firms it up.
Better cold
The source says the bars improve after a few hours in the fridge and that is right.
Warm from the oven they are fragile and the base crumbles when you lift a slice. Chilled, the coconut oil sets hard and they cut cleanly.
The flavour also settles. Maple syrup and almond both come forward once they are cold.
A genuinely small batch
Six bars from a small loaf pan, which is the size the recipe is built around.
The source notes it doubles for more people, and it does cleanly. In a doubled batch use an eight inch square pan rather than two loaf pans.
At 240 calories a bar with twenty grams of fat, these are rich for their size. A cup and a half of almond flour across six bars accounts for most of it.
Maple syrup, not honey
Two tablespoons, and it is the only sweetener.
Maple syrup is thinner and less sweet than honey by volume, and it brings a caramel note that suits almond and peach. Honey would work and would make the bars noticeably sweeter and stickier.
Two tablespoons across six bars is restrained. These are not a sweet dessert and they are not trying to be.
Parchment matters here
The pan lined before the dough goes in.
A crumbly base with no egg and no gluten will not lift out of a bare pan in one piece. Parchment with a slight overhang lets you lift the whole slab and cut it on a board. <p>Cutting in the pan tends to break the base apart. ## Other fruit Nectarines, apricots and plums all behave similarly and swap in directly. Berries work but release more liquid, so use slightly less. Apple needs longer than the bake allows unless you cut it very fine.
Storing
Four or five days refrigerated in an airtight container. They freeze for two months, and thaw in the fridge rather than at room temperature so the coconut oil sets rather than going greasy.
Healthy Peach Crumble Bars
Description
A small batch of gluten free vegan peach crumble bars made with almond flour and maple syrup.
Ingredients:
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F and line a small loaf pan with parchment paper.
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Wash, pit and chop the peach into small cubes.
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Mix the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, salt and vanilla until a crumbly dough forms.
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Spread two thirds of the dough into the lined pan and press firmly with your hands to make a compact crust.
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Top the crust with the peaches, then form the remaining dough into bigger chunks and scatter them over the peach layer. Add the walnuts on top if using.
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Bake 10 to 15 minutes, watching from 10, until the crumble is golden brown. Almond flour browns faster than wheat flour.
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Cool completely, then chill a few hours before slicing. The bars are considerably better cold..
Note
The source lists 12 minutes as the cook time and 10 to 15 in the method; use the range and judge by colour, since almond flour browns faster than wheat. Press the base firmly, as compression is what holds a crumbly dough together. Keep the top third loose so it bakes as crumble rather than a lid. Chop the peach small and use a genuinely ripe one, since it has only 10 to 15 minutes to soften. No need to peel. Coconut oil is the only binder and it sets as it cools; chill the dough 10 minutes if your kitchen is warm. The bars are much better cold, when the oil has set and they cut cleanly. Line the pan with parchment, as this base will not lift out of bare metal in one piece. Doubles cleanly into an 8 inch square pan.