Raspberry Walnut Squares

These raspberry walnut squares are incredibly quick & easy to make and with their crumbly, nutty, oaty layers & tangy, lip smacking raspberry jam, they are hard to resist!  

There is a little cafe nearby that we often frequent as they serve great coffee and baked goods, including a few vegan options. My husband’s absolute favourite are the raspberry & walnut slices. He loves them.

Trouble is, his visits were starting to get more and more frequent. It was like some kind of crazy addiction. I needed to stop his illicit sneaking around cafes with raspberry & walnut slices and stat.

So I made my own veganized version.

I don’t know whether that was a good idea or not because now he’s just sneaking around the kitchen trying to steal them before anyone else gets their hands on them and we all end up squabbling over who’s had one more than the other or who ate the last one!

My Raspberry Walnut Squares are dairy and egg free which is great as now I can eat them. I am not sure my husband would agree that that’s such a good thing as now he has to share.

I had eaten the ones from the cafe in my pre-vegan days so knew exactly what flavours and textures I should be aiming for in my own version. It took three or four attempts but I think they are pretty spot on now and my resident expert agrees.

These Raspberry Walnut Squares are so quick and easy to throw together. The base is just a compacted version of the crumble topping so only one bowl is required. The filling is simply raspberry jam. If you are feeling virtuous you could make them a lot healthier by using raspberry chia jam. You can check out a great recipe for it here. Just remember that if you do use chia jam the finished squares won’t be as sweet as they are with regular jam.

If you love oaty, nutty, crumbly and sticky sweet treats then these Raspberry Walnut Squares are your jam!

Now go get jammin’ and share your pictures on Instagram or Twitter. Use the hashtag #avirtualvegan so I don’t miss them.

Raspberry Walnut Squares

These raspberry walnut squares are incredibly quick & easy to make and with their crumbly, nutty, oaty layers & tangy, lip smacking raspberry jam, they are hard to resist!

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Baked Goods, Dessert

Cuisine: vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 9 squares

Calories: 490kcal

Author: Melanie McDonald

Ingredients

• 180g | 2 cups rolled oats
• 115g | 1 cup spelt flour (you may sub wholewheat flour but spelt gives marginally better results)
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed (you may sub ground chia seeds )
• 46g | 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 90g | 3/4 cup walnut pieces
• 100g | 1/2 cup sugar (coconut sugar gives the best results but you can sub any other granulated sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 9 tablespoons water
• 120mls | 1/2 cup coconut oil in liquid form (see recipe note)
• 325g | 1 cup good quality raspberry jam or raspberry chia jam

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Line an 8x8 pan with baking parchment leaving enough paper around the edges to use as lifting handles.
  
• Add all the dry ingredients to a large bowl
• Stir in the liquid coconut oil until well combined.
• Add the water and stir well. You will have a moist crumbly mixture. You can add one more tablespoon of water if it seems too dry.
• Pour about ⅔  of the mixture into your tin and press down really, really well until it is compacted and level. You can use a spatula or your hands.
• Spread the raspberry jam over the base evenly.
• Now use your hands and sprinkle the remaining oaty mixture loosely over the top. Little gaps over the jam are fine.
• Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until just starting to go golden brown around the edges.
• Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan.
• Remove from the pan using the excess paper to lift it out.
• Cut into 9 squares. Don't attempt to cut them up until they are completely cool as they will fall apart.

Notes

If you don't mind a slightly coconutty flavour you can use unrefined coconut oil . If you prefer no coconut flavour then use refined coconut oil . Both work the same and give great results. Store the squares in an air tight container in the fridge. They will keep well for up to 10 days.

Estimated nutrition per serving:

Serving: 1square | Calories: 490kcal | Protein: 8.3g | Fat: 24g | Sodium: 189mg | Fiber: 6.4g | Sugar: 30g | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan