Strawberry Crumble Bars (Wheat Free)

Recently I've been kerbing my sweetie intake, and limiting myself to one 100 calorie helping of sweeties a day, whether that's from a few different things or in one sitting. I've been feeling wonderful since I started making myself eat at certain times of day, and eat an entire 400-500 calorie meal in one go. I feel so full, and full of energy!

But, I am still getting my baking fix through baking for other people and events: I was in charge of the Tuesday Treat this week in work, so I made these to bring in tomorrow: Strawberry Crumble Bars!

I wanted to knock up something simple that had limited post-baking-bowl-licking potential (I'm a terror for eating leftover chocolate cake mixture from bowls, and raw shortbread dough isn't as nomable because of the hit of raw flour), and I had half a jar of strawberry jam in the cupboard that needed rid of.

These are actually based off a recipe in one of my grandma's old cookery books, but the recipe in her book used blackcurrant jam. These are a very basic Scots shortbread mixture (1 part sugar, 2 parts butter, 3 parts flour) with jam and a few oats sprinkled on top; not really recipe worthy stuff to be honest. But I'll include the recipe anyway!

FREE FROM

☑ Soya (check for soya lecithin)
☑ Yeast
☑ Wheat
☑ Eggs

CONTAINS
☒ Gluten
☒ Dairy
☒ Refined sugar products

INGREDIMENTS:

• 2 ounces (55 grammes) icing sugar
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) butter, room temperature
• 4 ounces (115 grammes) white spelt flour
• 2 ounces (55 grammes) cornflour
• 2 tablespoons (30 millilitres) rolled oats
• About 6 tablespoons (90 millilitres) strawberry jam, or jam of your choice
• Caster sugar for sprinkling

METHOD

• Preheat your oven to 170°C (325°F, Gas Mk.3, or moderate). Lightly dust a wide loaf tin with flour.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the icing sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Work in the flour with a wooden spoon, or by hand if it's too stiff for the spoon. It will be very crumbly, but that's what you want.
• Divide the crumbly mixture in three (roughly 4 ounces (115 grammes) each), and press two thirds of the mixture into the tin. Stir the oats into the remaining third.
• Spread the jam on top of the shortbread base evenly. Sprinkle the oaty crumble over the top.
• Place the tin in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the crumble is a pale golden colour.
• Remove from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over the top while still warm, and score into 12 pieces in the tin while still warm. Allow to cool completely in the tin.
• Once cold, remove carefully from tin, and then cut along the scored lines with a sharp knife.

These were a lovely sticky sweet treat; I had a nibble off one my brother was eating (he now shares an office space with me). You can use any jam you want, I just happened to have strawberry in the cupboard, but I can imagine these would be lovely with raspberry jam.