Strawberry Jam Bars
These jam bars are the bomb! They are definitely show stopping in their own way yet so simple to make!
You’ll start off by making the jam filling. Any fruits could really be used for these but I love the taste of strawberry and find they are one of the cutest fruits. I used frozen strawberries and they turned out great so don’t be shy to use frozen. I’m sure fresh would be even better and be faster to cook. From frozen, it took me a while to get these to stat breaking down so in the future I may even quickly zap them in the microwave.
The jam will be highlighted with the additions of vanilla and lemon that take these to the next level and then you can start out with the base/topping. The oat base will literally take you only a few minutes to make. The hardest part is probably making your own oat flour which will take just a few seconds in a blender or food processor. If you don’t have a way to blend the oats (or can’t be bothered), you can substitute with more flour by only using half cup of whole oats and increasing the four by half a cup.
I added cinnamon and nutmeg to the base but you can omit these or use something else. I think cardamom would be lovely and next time I’m going to add some of that in!
Enjoy!
Strawberry Jam Bars
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam
- 2-3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (whole) (about 12 ounces)
- 2 tsp lemon zest (or from one lemon)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Base and Topping
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup coconut oil softened
Instructions
For Strawberry Jam Filling
- Add strawberries to a saucepan and heat with lemon zest and juice until they start to soften a little.
- Add in sugar and salt and stir until sugar is dissolved everything is combined.
- Cook until strawberries have broken down, you can smash them with a fork to help along the way. This will take 5 to 10 minutes depending on what kind of strawberries you used and how big they are.
- Once berries are all broken down then you can add the cornstarch in. Be careful to evenly sprinkle this in and stir immediately so that it doesn't clump.
- Cook for a few more minutes until it begins to bubble. You want your jam to be spreadable but not too thick. It should thicken a little more once cooled.
- Remove jam from heat and stir in vanilla. Allow to cool as you get your other things together. I transfer my jam to a bowl and then set near a window or in the fridge.
For Base/Topping
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line an 8 by 8 inch pan.
- Start by making the oat flour, by taking half a cup of oats and blitzing in a blender or food processor until a flour consisitency is reached.
- Add oat flour, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a bowl and combine.
- Add in remaining oats and coconut oil and then gently mix until most of the mixture is coated in coconut oil. You want to keep the oil in some clumps with the flour mixture so no need to over mix.
- Place about half or a little more of the mixture into your pan and press with your hands until even and it covers the whole bottom. Add more mixture as necessary to achieve this.
- Spread cooled strawberry jam on top of your base using a spoon make it all even.
- Crumble or place clumps of the remaining topping on your jam.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- I love eating this warmed but it is way easier to cut once cooled so allow bars to cool a little before slicing and serving. Store in a sealed contained in the fridge and eat cold or slightly heated in the microwave. I love topping these with some peanut butter!
