1. First, start making the strawberry chia jam. In a small saucepan add the strawberries and cook on medium high heat. Mix in the cardamom powder and let the strawberries cook down, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice, chia seeds. If you like your jams to be on the sweeter side, mix in the coconut sugar to taste. Pour into a jar and let cool in the fridge for about 30 minutes or overnight.
2. While your jam is cooling, make the crust for the oat bars. Add the oats, walnuts, Nutiva hemp seeds and salt to the food processor and pulse until a ground meal forms. Next, add in the dates, nut or seed butter and vanilla extract, blending until well combined and the mixture resembles a dough consistency. Line a small baking sheet or pan (9×9 pan works great) with a sheet of parchment paper. Spoon the crust dough on the sheet and begin pressing into a flat layer, about half and inch thick. Once the layer is even and somewhat smooth, pop into the freezer to set for about 10 minutes.
3. While the crust is chilling, make the crumble topping. Pulse the walnuts in the food processor until they are finely ground. Add the ground walnuts to a bowl with the oats, coconut sugar, nut or seed butter and salt. Using your hands or a fork, mix everything together until crumbs are formed. You’ll want the crumbs to be about the size of a pea or a little larger.
4. Now that the strawberry cardamom + chia jam and the crust are chilled, it’s time to assemble the bars. Spread a thin layer of the jam on top of the crust, covering evenly. Then sprinkle the crumble on top and lightly press into the jam so it sticks down a bit. Pop back into the freezer to set for about 10 minutes. When ready, remove from the freezer and cut into squares.
