Gluten-free Maple Oatmeal Bars
gluten-free | naturally sweetened | tree nut free
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | March 20, 2025
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Better known in our house as chewy maple bars… these gluten-free maple oatmeal bars are perfectly sweetened with nature’s sugar: maple syrup! In Michigan, spring is a time for tapping trees. And, while I haven’t tried tapping trees on my homestead yet, I do enjoy supporting the small farms that sell fresh maple products in our area. Baking with fresh maple products always makes the house smell so good! These gluten-free maple oatmeal bars combine two of my favorite maple products, maple syrup and maple sugar, into a chewy ‘oatmeal cookie’ bar that is bursting with maple flavor!
Modern Pioneer Recipe
Maple oatmeal bars are a modern pioneer recipe, but they are a recipe that I always remember my mom making when we were younger. So, when I started creating recipes, I knew I had to re-vamp this classic family favorite. The original recipe only needed slight adaptations to make it a modern pioneer recipe. Here’s why you’ll love these maple oatmeal bars:
Naturally Sweetened– These bars aren’t just flavored with a maple extract (although organic maple extract is delicious in them too!), they get their maple flavor directly from the natural sweeteners used in the recipe: maple sugar and maple syrup. These two maple products naturally sweeten the bars and given them their classic flavor!
For another recipe naturally sweetened with maple syrup, make sure you try a batch of my gluten-free maple granola!
Allergy-Friendly– They wouldn’t be a modern pioneer recipe if they weren’t at least gluten-free! While they may not be the most allergy-friendly recipe, they are…
- gluten-free
- corn free
- tree nut free
- coconut free
- refined sugar free
I discuss options for making them egg free and dairy-free in the Recipe Questions section.
Simple Recipe– Lastly, you’ll love these maple oatmeal bars because they are a super simple recipe to make. They only require a handful of wholesome, natural ingredients that you probably already have on hand in your homestead pantry. The recipe also gives you the chance to consider how you could source the ingredients directly from your homestead, such as…
- collecting fresh eggs from your homestead flock
- making your own butter from your homestead dairy-animal
- tapping your own trees to make maple syrup and maple sugar
How is Maple Syrup Made?
If you have sugar maple trees on your property… then making your own maple syrup is totally possible! It is generally recommended that you tap sugar maple trees that are at least 12″ in diameter. And, even if you only have a few trees, each tree could produce between 5-15 gallons of sap each day. The size of the tree and the weather conditions will play a role in how much sap is produced. But, considering you need 10 gallons of sap to make a gallon of maple syrup, you could get at least a gallon of maple syrup each day!
Maple syrup ‘season’ can start as early as February. Sap begins to flow when the daytime temperatures get above freezing but the nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. Sunshine also helps the sap flow more efficiently. A good tapping season may run for about 5 weeks once the sap starts flowing.
Supplies for Making Maple Syrup:
- metal buckets with lids
- spiles/taps
- proper sized drill bit & drill
- cheesecloth
- hammer
- maple syrup filters
- food-grade containers for sap storage
- method of boiling large volumes of sap (best done outside)
- lots of large, heat-safe pots
- large candy thermometer
While I won’t go into the process of tapping trees and collecting sap, I do want to explain how maple syrup is made from tree sap. The sap needs to be boiled down to a syrup stage. Boiling the sap may take hours depending on how much sap you need to boil at one. Once the sap reaches a temperature that is 7.1°F above the freezing point of water (dependent on elevation) then it is technically at syrup stage. Additionally, the fresh syrup should be thick and golden brown.
After a batch of sap has been boiled down into syrup, the hot syrup is then strained to remove any sugar-sand. Once strained, the syrup can be bottled up or canned! Maple syrup can also be kept in the freezer, where it will get very thick but never freeze completely.
I love having fresh maple syrup on homemade gluten-free pancakes or homemade gluten-free waffles!
Recipe Questions
Can I make these maple oatmeal bars dairy-free?
I have not tried making these maple oatmeal bars dairy-free as my mom’s original recipe always used organic, grass-fed butter. However, I am fairly confident that a dairy-free alternative would work fine and I even think that using melted cocout oil or avocado oil in place of the butter would work too.
Can I make the maple oatmeal bars egg free?
I have not tried making these bars egg free. The egg really helps the bars hold shape and would fear that they would be very crumbly if the egg was left out or even if you tried using an egg replacement like a flax-egg or chia-egg.
What kind of oats should I use in this recipe?
This recipe works best with old-fashion whole oats. Old-fashion oats may also be called rolled oats, but the main thing is that the oats are in their whole form. I have not tried the recipe with quick oats, which may affect the texture of the bars.
Are there flour alternatives for the gfJules flour?
You can use any gluten-free all-purpose flour in place of the gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour. King Arthur gluten-free all-purpose flour would work well as a replacement.
A Note on Maple Products:
Since these are MAPLE oatmeal bars, I obviously don’t recommend any substitutions for the maple syrup or maple sugar in these bars. However, I have used maple cream in place of the maple syrup in this recipe. My dad and I tried making our own maple cream and we had a few batches that didn’t turn out exactly as we wanted. So, I used the ‘grade-B’ maple cream in a batch of these maple oatmeal bars and they turned out delicious! You can also add a splash of organic maple extract for additional maple flavor in these bars!
These gluten-free maple oatmeal bars, affectionately called ‘chewy maple bars’ on my homestead, are sure to be hit on your homestead too! They are like a glorified maple oatmeal cookie in bar form… and are bursting with natural maple flavor!
Gluten-free Maple Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic, grass-fed butter, very soft
- 1/2 cup pure maple sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or maple cream
- 1 large organic, pasture-raised egg room temperature
- 2/3 cup gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract or organic maple extract
- 1 cup whole, rolled gluten-free oats
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8" glass baking pan with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and maple sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use hand-held beaters to cream the butter and sugar together until they are fluffy and light.
- Add the maple syrup and egg. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, extract, and oats. Stir until everything is combined.
- Spread the mixture into the 8×8" baking pan.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. The center of the bars should be set and the top should be golden brown.
- Allow the bars to cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving them. You can slice and serve them when they are still slightly warm, however, they may be a little crumbly. You can also garnish the bars with flakey sea salt and maple cream if you would like!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Where to Find the Ingredients:
- A&A maple sugar
- Pure maple syrup
- gfJules gluten-free breakfast flour
- King Arthur gluten-free all-purpose flour
- Otto’s Naturals baking powder
- organic maple extract
- Anthony’s gluten-free whole oats
- Supplies: 8×8″ glass baking dish, unbleached parchment paper, hand-held beaters
These gluten-free maple oatmeal bars are loaded with maple flavor thanks to the natural sweeteners used to flavor the bars. Maple sugar and maple syrup are natural sweeteners derived from the sap of sugar maple trees, and you can even make your own maple syrup and maple sugar on your homestead! I like to top my maple oatmeal bars with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt and a drizzle of maple cream. Sometimes I’ll even have them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a splash of fresh maple syrup… because you can never over-do the maple flavor!
Don’t miss any other recipes that come straight from our modenr pioneer chuckwagon! Join our wagon train as we journey as modern pioneers… learning heritage life skills and striving to live sustainably!
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