Strawberry Oatmeal Bars that are tart, sweet, and full of flavor.
Fresh fruit goes fast in our house so when I saw we had fresh strawberries I knew I had to jump on the opportunity to make my crumbly jammy strawberry oatmeal bars. The buttery and slightly salted oats compliment the fresh sweet and acidic berries creating the perfect flavor combination in every bite. In my mind, fruit bars are terribly underrated and honestly deserve better (they’re basically just fruit brownies). These are perfect with ice cream or just on their own and so easy to make and serve.
How to Make Strawberry Oat Bars:
This recipe comes together and just two bowls and doesn’t even need a mixer, just a wooden spoon and a measuring cup. First off, line a baking pan with two sheets of parchment paper and grease it lightly with butter or nonstick spray. Then preheat your oven to 375ºF with a center rack in the oven.
The Oat Base:
The oat base comes together quickly similarly to a graham cracker crust. Dump the flour, sugars, rolled oats, and salt together in a bowl. Mix them all together to evenly disperse oats among the rest of the dry ingredients. Then pour the melted butter into the drys in a continuous stream and stir with a spoon. Once the butter is incorporated, squish your clean hands the “dough” until pea sized clumps form.
The Strawberry Filling:
As if the oat base wasn’t easy enough, the strawberry filling comes together even more easily. Combine the remaining granulated sugar, diced strawberries, acid of choice, and cornstarch and allow it to macerate. Boom, that’s it.
Assembly and Baking:
Dump 2/3 of your mixture into your prepared tin and fully press it into a crust using the back of a measuring cup (in order for these to be stable bars, the base must be compact). Then using a spoon, scatter the strawberries on top of the base. Then pour the rest of the oat mixture and scatter it on top of the strawberries. Bake for 45 minutes until the top of the bars are dark golden and you can see the juices from the strawberries bubbling. While they cool, press them down with a measuring cup every 5-7 minutes for 30 minutes to ensure they stay together.
Strawberry Bar Substitutions and Tips
These bars can be made gluten free using GF flour. They may be slightly more crumbly, but still delicious.
I gave two different acid options in this recipe. I recommend lemon juice in the summer and balsamic in the winter, that being said pick your favorite or whatever you have on hand (lime juice would also totally work).
Maceration is softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid (in this case the acid). The main reason to macerate is to bring out the juices and add flavor to the berries. It makes them extra jammy while baked.
If you made these bars, don’t forget to leave a review and tag me on instagram with your finished product. I love seeing what you create in the kitchen!
Print
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cool Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 9 bars (one 9×9 pan) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars that are tart, sweet, and perfect with ice cream.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick of just melted butter (you want there to still be some unmelted chunks)
- Roughly 16 diced strawberries
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice or balsamic
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine oats, flour, salt, and brown sugar in a large bowl. Pour in butter and mix until butter is fully incorporated and a crumbly dough forms.
- Mix strawberries with lemon juice, granulated sugar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Stir until cornstarch has disintegrated and let sit while preparing pan.
- Grease a 9×9 pan and firmly press 2/3 of oat mixture down into it. Using a slotted spoon, scoop strawberries on top of oat mixture. Add the rest of the oat mixture on top of the strawberries.
- Bake at 375 for 45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. While cooling, use a smaller pan or plate to press down the bars every 5 minutes.
- Transfer the pan into the fridge and let cool for another 30 minutes. Serve a la mode and enjoy.
Keywords: Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Traybake
More recipes with strawberries:
Recipe Inspiration: https://www.averiecooks.com/blueberry-oatmeal-crumble-bars/
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