Strawberry Oat Bars
Description
Fresh strawberries and jam! For a perfect dessert-y treat! Borrowed from Diane Morrisey’s book, ‘You Got This!’, these were an instant hit – enjoy!
Ingredients
Filling
2 c. coarsely chopped hulled fresh strawberries
2 T. flour
1 jar (355 mL) strawberry jam
1 t. lemon zest AND 2 T. fresh lemon juice
Dough
2 c. (170 g) large flake oats
1 1/2 c. (188 g) flour AND 3/4 c. (150 g) brown sugar
1 t. baking powder AND 1/2 t. kosher salt
1 c. (227 g) butter, melted but just barely warm
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350, spray a 9 x 13 cake pan, line it with parchment so that the 2 long sides have overhanging ‘handles’, and spray the parchment. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the chopped strawberries with the flour and toss them to coat, then stir in the jam, zest and lemon juice and set the filling aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt then scrape in the melted butter and use a sturdy spatula to combine well. Press all of this dough – except for 1 cup – into your prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and carefully spread the filling evenly over the hot bottom, then use your hands to separate and sprinkle the remaining dough mix evenly over all. Bake for about 25 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is visibly bubbling throughout. Leave the bars to rest for about 15 minutes, then take a knife and carefully separate any sticky edges from the pan, while it’s all still warm.
Leave to cool to room temperature, then use the parchment handles to lift out the goodness onto a large cutting board. Cut into bars and serve, store or freeze as you wish.
