Okay, I could tell you how great these Strawberry Oat Bars would be to take to the office, a potluck, or even as a special gift for someone you love, but, seriously, I doubt they’ll make it that far. They are super fast to put together and the smell of the buttery crumb topping and bubbly strawberry filling baking in the oven is all it takes to put me in the mood for a sweet, fruity treat.
As we all know, quality ingredients help to ensure excellent results. These bars are a great example of that principle, so I would strongly recommend you use high quality preserves. I love both St. Dalfour and Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves. These are just two of my favorite brands, both happen to be made in France, but feel free to choose one of your own favorites!
What You’ll Need to Make These Incredible Strawberry Oat Bars
- Butter – I set it out until it’s soft, but still a bit cool
- flour
- oats – regular or quick cooking both work but don’t use steel cut oats
- brown sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- strawberry preserves
Seven simple ingredients you probably already have!
Do they have to be Strawberry Oat Bars?
Absolutely NOT! I’ve tried these with apricot, seedless raspberry, cherry, and fig preserves. I was never disappointed with the results! Once you’ve tried these bars, be sure to check out my delicious Lemon Bars!
What’s the difference between preserves, jams, and jellies?
The main difference between the three is the amount of the actual fruit each contains.
- Preserves – have the most fruit flavor because they use more of the fruit than jams and jellies. The fruit is often left whole or in large pieces and mixed with sugar as well as jam to make it spreadable. Preserves are a lot like jam, but with larger pieces of fruit and slightly thicker.
- Jam – is made by crushing the fruit and retaining most of the solids, so there are pieces of the actual fruit.
- Jelly – is made by crushing the fruit and reserving only the juice. It has no solids, so it has the smoothest consistency and is the easiest to spread.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cut into pieces + some to butter pan
- 1-1/2 cups flour, all-purpose
- 1-1/2 cups oats
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 10-12 oz jar strawberry preserves
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.
- Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the butter to make a crumb mixture.
- Press half of the oat-crumb mixture in the bottom of the buttered baking dish. Spread the strawberry preserves evenly over the bottom crust. Sprinkle the remaining oat-crumb mixture over the top of the preserves; pat gently.
- Bake about 40 minutes until the oat-crumb topping is lightly browned. Let cool completely before cutting.
Notes
