Strawberry-Orange Oatmeal Bars

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with enough parchment to have overhang on all sides. Lightly grease parchment with cooking spray.

2. Stir together oats, whole wheat flour, coconut, almonds, ginger, and salt in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until mixture is thoroughly combined. Reserve 1 cup of the crust mixture to use as the topping. Press the rest of the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

3. Combine strawberries, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, cornstarch, orange juice, and orange zest in a bowl. Toss to combine until there are no longer any dry lumps of cornstarch. Pour strawberry mixture evenly over the crust.

4. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over the strawberries and lightly press down into strawberry mixture.

5. Bake in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and strawberries are bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Remove from pan using parchment "handles" and slice into bars.

Cook's Note:

For best results slicing the bars, place uncut bars into refrigerator until cold, then cut into bars. Keep bars stored in the refrigerator.