These upside down gooseberry crumble bars make the most of one of Britain’s most unusual seasonal fruits. Packed with oats and nuts for energy and nutrition and refined sugar free.
Cutting down on sugar
As you’re sure to know if you’ve visited Sneaky Veg before, I’m keen on reducing the amount of sugar in my children’s diet. I love experimenting with different ways of sweetening baked goods that we are used to making with sugar.
These gooseberry upside down crumble bars are made with Tate & Lyle agave nectar.
What is agave nectar?
Agave nectar is often called agave syrup. It’s a natural sweetener, made from the agave plant. There are several different varieties of agave plant that produce the syrup.
It is similar in consistency to honey or maple syrup and can be used in the same way. It is suitable for vegans.
Did the kids like the gooseberry crumble bars?
Yes! The bars were a massive hit with all three of my kids, and with us grown ups too. They are refined sugar free and are perfect for an after-school snack or even as dessert. The oats and nuts provide some lovely energy and protein. Anything that gets six-year-old R eating fruit and asking for seconds gets a thumbs up from me.
I mustn’t forget to give my dad a shout out as he grew these gooseberries in his garden – thanks dad!
Tate & Lyle offer lots of different types of sugar but if you’re interested in reducing the sugar in your family’s diet, take a look at their Better Balance* products. As well as agave nectar they offer sugar mixed with stevia, fruit sugar, and sugar mixed with sweetener.
If you like these then you might also like my rhubarb bars.
How to make gooseberry crumble bars:
Upside down gooseberry crumble bars
Ingredients
- 360 g gooseberries
- 125 g oats
- 100 g almonds
- 100 g butter or vegan margarine
- 1 small banana mashed
- 4 tbsp Tate & Lyle agave nectar
Instructions
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First prepare the 360g gooseberries. Wash them then snip off the ends if there are spiky bits. Place in a small non-stick saucepan, cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until starting to break down. Stir occasionally. If you prefer you can add a couple of spoonfuls of agave nectar to the gooseberries at this stage. We (yes, even the Sneaky Veg kids) quite like the slightly tart taste of gooseberries so I don't add any sweetener at this stage.
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Pre-heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Prepare a 20cm square cake tin by lightly greasing the sides and lining the base with greaseproof paper.
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Grind 1205 oats and 100g almonds in a food processor until you have a powder. Add 100g dairy free spread, one mashed banana and 4 tbsp agave nectar. Pulse until combined.
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Scrape out into the cake tin and level the surface. Pour the gooseberries over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the tin before cutting into squares or slices.
Pin upside down gooseberry crumble bars for later:
Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post with Tate & Lyle.
Ooh these sound absolutely delicious Mandy with homegrown gooseberries, it clearly got a massive thunbs up from your children too! I must admit I’ve never used agave nectar before, but I shall certainly have to give it a try.Angela x
I totally love the look of these. I have some gooseberries that are ready to pick so I will have to give it a try
I was wondering what to do with my homegrown red gooseberries, this would have been ideal and then I went out to harvest them and they were gone, the birds had beaten me to them.
This sounds brilliant.
Thanks Jo – so yummy!
I love gooseberries! We have got gooseberries growing in the garden but have not had many this year. These crumble bars look and sound so good! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Lucky you! Season seems to be over now so will have to make these again next year X