These upside down gooseberry crumble bars make the most of our seasonal fruit. Packed with oats and nuts for energy and nutrition and refined sugar free.
Cutting down on sugar
I've spent years working 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.
And these gooseberry upside down crumble bars are one of my success stories.
They're sweetened with banana and agave nectar. Maple syrup could also be used.
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.
Kid approved
While gooseberries can be a little tart for my kids on their own they adored these bars.
In fact they 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 gorgeous pink gooseberries in his garden - thanks dad!
You can make these with green gooseberries too. They won't look as pretty but they'll still taste fantastic.
More refined sugar free recipes
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How to make gooseberry crumble bars:
Upside down gooseberry crumble bars
Ingredients
- 360 g gooseberries
- 125 g oats
- 100 g almonds
- 100 g vegan butter or dairy free spread
- 1 small banana roughly mashed
- 4 tablespoons Tate & Lyle agave nectar
Instructions
- 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.*
- 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.
- Grind 125g oats and 100g almonds in a food processor until you have a powder.
- Add 100g vegan butter, a mashed banana and 4 tablespoons agave nectar. Pulse until combined.
- 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.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the tin before cutting into squares or slices.
Notes
- If you prefer you can add a couple of spoonfuls of agave nectar to the gooseberries while cooking them. I quite like the slightly tart taste of gooseberries so I don't usually add any sweetener at this stage.
- Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.
Nutrition
If you like this then you might like my gluten free apricot crumble.
Pin upside down gooseberry crumble bars for later
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Jacqui Bellefontaine
Now your talking these look delicious
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Jacqui - I made these at the cafe once too and they went down very well
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
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
Mandy Mazliah
Lucky you! Season seems to be over now so will have to make these again next year X
Jo Hutchinson
This sounds brilliant.
Mandy Mazliah
Thanks Jo - so yummy!
shaheen
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.
Alison
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
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
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