Plant-Based Cherry Crumble Bars are sweet and fruity. Made with only a few healthy ingredients, these bars are a delicious summer dessert.

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After I made this Blueberry Crumble a few weeks ago I've been OBSESSED with all things crumble. I think it comes from my love of oats. Oatmeal is one of my favorite foods and I'm happy to turn it into a delicious dessert!

The great part about crumbles is that traditional crumble recipes use oats. Which means that we don't have to worry about using a substitute. Usually, though crumbles have butter and sugar. Neither of which are particularly good for you.

It's pretty easy to replace butter and sugar without altering the flavor of a crumble. You just need a healthy source of fat and a healthy source of sweetness.

For the fat, I chose tahini.

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It's very similar to nut butters. Sesame seeds have a higher fat content, which will add flavor to the crumble bars. That said, tahini doesn't have a particularly distinct flavor (like peanut butter does), so it's the perfect fat source for this recipe.

For the sugar replacement, I chose date syrup. I love using a sweetener that is 100% fruit. We get all the nutrients -- including fiber -- from the fruit and none of the blood-sugar-spiking from granulated sugar.

If you don't have date syrup or don't want to use it, you could also use maple syrup. While slightly more refined, it is a better alternative to plain sugar.

By replacing the butter and sugar with tahini and date syrup we get a healthy and delicious crumble!

There are a few other ingredients in these bars, so let's go through them.

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Ingredients

• Rolled Oats: The base of any crumble. If you want, you could also use quick oats.
• Oat Flour: If we just used oats, the base of these bars would not stick together very well, so we'll add oat flour to create more of a dough.
• Date Sugar: Date sugar adds sweetness to the bars.
• Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the sweet flavors.
• Date Syrup or Maple Syrup: I used date syrup in this recipe, but if you don't have date syrup or want a sweeter bar, you can use maple syrup.
• Tahini: Make sure to use tahini that is runny. Like I mentioned before, we are using tahini to replace butter, so it should be a similar consistency.
• Frozen Cherries: Frozen fruits are often fresher and cheaper than fresh. If you have fresh cherries and want to use them, go for it!
• Arrowroot Powder: You can sub cornstarch or tapioca flour if you don't have arrowroot.
• Lemon Juice: You can use either fresh or bottled, whatever you prefer.

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How to Make Plant-Based Cherry Crumble Bars

Step 1. Start by preheating the oven. Line a cake pan with parchment paper. Leave parchment paper hanging over the edges on at least two sides. This will make it very easy to remove the bars.

Step 2. In a medium bowl combine the oats, oat flour, date sugar, and salt. Add the date syrup and tahini. Stir until a crumbly mixture forms. You should be able to press it together easily. If you can't, add more date syrup.

Step 3. Reserve 1/2 cup of the crumble. Then, press the crumble into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan.

Step 4. Pour the cherries on top of the crumble crust. Sprinkle the cherries with the arrowroot and lemon juice.

Step 5. Top the cherries with the reserved topping.

Step 6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top of the crumble is browned and the bars seem to hold together. If you're using date syrup, the crumble will be dark before baking, so watch carefully that it doesn't burn.

Step 7. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

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How long to Plant-Based Cherry Crumble Bars Last?

These bars are made from whole food ingredients with no preservatives, so they won't last forever!

That said, they should last 5-7 days if stored in an air-tight container. Use parchment paper to separate the bars if you want to stack them on top of each other.

Enjoy your crumble bars!

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Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for sweet treats and summer fruits. Amen.

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Tried this recipe?

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