Berry Oat Bars. revisited
A while back, I shared a recipe for Raspberry Oat Bars that were quickly becoming a favorite breakfast/snack bar in our home. In fact, they’re made so frequently that the recipe has become lazier — ahem! — modified over time into something far more streamlined, just as tasty and worthy to be shared.
Most notable developments? The entire batter is made in a food processor, nixing the need to get your kitchen mixer dirty too. Instead of 2 egg yolks, I now make the recipe with 1 whole egg. Instead of needing to soften the butter, you can use it straight from the fridge cold. And you have the option of using strawberries or raspberries, fresh or frozen—or just substituting pre-made jam or preserves!
Also worth noting? When the flour is swapped with gluten-free 1:1 flour, the final gluten-free result is nearly undetectable, making this a great gluten-free treat.
So here they are, presented again below, with suitable modifications for the lazy — ahem! — busy home baker.
berry oat bars
Ingredients:
[for the berry jam]
6 oz. raspberries or strawberries (fresh or frozen), or a mixture of the two, or the equivalent amount of raspberry or strawberry jam/preserves
1/3 cup white sugar (omit if using pre-made jam or preserves)
[for the crust]
1 1/2 cups (about 5.5 oz) old fashioned oats
1 cup (about 5 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves (optional, for spicy warm flavor)
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (6 oz) butter, cold, cut into pieces
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 whole egg
powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Prepare the berry jam. [Skip this step if using pre-made jam/preserves.] Combine berries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, mashing them up a bit with a fork or the back of a spoon. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the bars. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8- or 9x9-inch square pan and line with parchment paper.
Place oats in food processor and pulse 10-15 times into a rough powder. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves (if using) and salt and pulse a few more times to combine. Add the butter and sugar and pulse 5-10 times until crumbly. Scrape down food processor, add egg and vanilla, and pulse a final 5-10 times until mixture comes together into a wet ball.
Reserve 1/2 cup of batter for the top. Spread remaining batter in the bottom of the pan. It’s quite thick and sticky, so you may want to use your fingers to press it down. Top with the berry jam and spread evenly across. Use the reserved 1/2 cup of batter to pinch off clumps and drop all over the top. (See photos for reference.)
Bake at 350 degrees until golden and bubbly, about 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing into squares. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
notes
Storing: Stash these bars in an airtight container on the counter (a couple days) or in the fridge (a week) or in the freezer (a couple months) layered between parchment, or wrap them individually and keep them in a large zip loc bag. Lately, instead of wrapping individually with plastic wrap, I’ve been using fold-top plastic sandwich bags because it’s so much faster. Like the Peanut Butter Cranberry Oat Bars, these are a great snack for new moms.
Gluten-Free: Just swap the flour with a gluten free 1:1 replacement flour and these make an awesome gluten-free treat.
Premade Jam/Preserves: My favorite quick-hack to make these even faster is to use some of Costco’s organic strawberry preserves.
