Quick and Easy Oatmeal Bars Recipe
Introduction
These Oatmeal Bars are a delightful treat with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth crumb and a customizable jam filling. They are perfect for breakfast or dessert, requiring less than 10 minutes of prep time.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12-ounce jar raspberry preserves (or your favorite jam)
Instructions
- Preparation:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 7×11-inch baking dish with butter or shortening.
- Mix Dry Ingredients:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the old-fashioned oats, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine Wet Ingredients:
- Stir in the beaten egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract into the dry mixture until well combined.
- Assemble the Bars:
- Split the oatmeal mixture in half. Press half of the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Warm the raspberry preserves in a saucepan over low heat until softened. Spread the preserves over the oatmeal mixture in the baking dish using an offset spatula.
- Crumble the remaining oatmeal mixture evenly over the raspberry layer.
- Bake:
- Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool and Serve:
- Allow the bars to cool completely in the baking dish before slicing into bars.
Tips
- Grease Baking Dish: Ensure the baking dish is well-greased to prevent sticking, especially since jam can be sticky.
- Jam Variation: Experiment with different flavors of jam such as strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, apricot, or cherry.
- Butter Substitute: You can replace 50% of the butter with almond butter, peanut butter, cashew butter, or coconut oil for a different flavor profile.
- Chocolate Chip Variation: For chocolate chip oatmeal bars, skip the jam and add 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to the oatmeal mixture before baking.
Storage and Serving
- Cooling: Allow the bars to fully cool before slicing to ensure they hold together well.
- Refrigeration: Due to the jam filling, cover and refrigerate the bars after they have cooled.
- Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: To freeze, fully cool the bars, slice them, and layer them with wax paper or parchment paper in a sturdy freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.