Buttery brown sugar Oatmeal Bars with a fruity jam filling. This simple recipe comes together in minutes, with the crust and topping made from the same mixture. Use your favorite flavor of jam.
Hi, friends. Let’s cut right to the chase. Buttery brown sugar oatmeal cookie bars sandwiching a thick layer of jam. Are you in? Yep, me too.
There’s so much to love about this simple recipe. It comes together in just a few minutes, it can be enjoyed for breakfast or dessert, it can be served warm, chilled or room temp, and it can be made with any flavor of jam. Choose your favorite flavor of jam or preserves (I’m currently obsessed with Bonne Maman Four Fruits Preserves).
You might also like: Almond Jam Bars.
This is a super simple recipe, with the crust and topping made from the same mixture. Here’s how to do it.
How to Make Oatmeal Bars
- Crust/topping mixture: Whisk melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Add flour, oats, salt, and baking soda. Stir it up until you have an oatmeal cookie dough.
- Press it in the pan: Dump a little more than half of the mixture into a 8×8 pan and flatten it into an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- Add the jam and topping: Top the warm crust with jam, spreading it all the way to the corners. Crumble the reserved oatmeal mixture over the jam and return to the oven for about 15 more minutes.
Recipe tip
Line your 8×8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving a little overhang on two opposite sides. Once the bars are cool you can lift them right out of the pan and cut them easily.
Serving and storage
After baking, allow the bars to cool, and you’ll be able to cut them into clean slices. I often serve these bars at room temperature or chilled so they’re firm enough to be held easily.
If you’d prefer to eat them warm, you can! They will be a bit less stable and need to be eaten with a fork or spoon (see photo below). When serving these warm I like to top them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s like eating a fruit crisp that is heavy on the topping, with jam instead of fruit. Swoon.
Store leftover tightly covered at room temperature or the refrigerator for 3 days.
What’s not to love about a dessert that can feed a crowd, travel well, and maybe also be served for breakfast (there are oats in there!). I mean, yes, technically this is a dessert, but if you wanted to cut yourself a square to nibble on along with your morning coffee I would pass zero judgment. I only ask that you invite me over to join you.
Try the Nutella, chocolate, or lemon version of these bars: Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookie Bars, Oatmeal Fudge Bars, Lemon Crumb Bars
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Recipe
Jam Filled Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed (it should be soft and fresh)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- generous ¾ cup jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 pan with foil or parchment paper (leaving overhang on two sides for easy removal). Spray with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine, flour, oats, salt and baking soda.
- In a large bowl, whisk butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined (this will take at least one full minute). Add dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until combined.
- Pull out about ¾ cup (a little less than half) of the cookie dough and set that portion aside (it will be the topping). Dump the remaining dough into the prepared pan and press it down into a flat even layer. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully spread the jam on top of the cookie base. Take the reserved cookie dough and crumble it over the top of the jam layer. Return to the oven and bake for 14-16 more minutes, until the topping is light golden brown. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool. These bars are soft when they are warm (they likely won't hold together). To firm them up they can be stored at cool temp or refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Julie
I’ve made these tons of times! I work for a jam company so I always have many jars of jam on hand. They are a huge hit with my coworkers! I’ve used blueberry, peach and cherry jams and all are delicious! I always make a double batch and bake in a 9×13 baking dish. I have made a tweak or two, mainly adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the dry ingredients. So delicious!
Pam M
I made these today for the second time in a week they are so good. The only change I made was I only used 1/3 cup brown sugar and fresh strawberries and blueberries that I cooked on the stove with a pinch of sugar. They are still so good without a lot of sugar. Will make them again now that it is summer and all the fresh fruit is in season. Next I will use fresh peaches that I have already. Thank you for the recipe.
Mandy
Could you make these ahead of time and freeze them? I am wanting to take them for vacation but don’t want to make them there!
Allison
Hi, Mandy. I haven’t tried it but I would assume that they would freeze just fine. The texture might be a bit softer after thawing. Enjoy!
Robin
I made these today with apricot jam as a treat for my visiting 6 foot tall teen grandson. 1/2 of the batch disappeared in moments! I had to hide the rest for later. They were super easy to make.
Allison
Haha! 🙂 I’m glad he enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by!
Camille
Has anyone tried coconut oil to replace the butter?
Violet
Haven’t tried the cookie but it is on my list.. Could you use orange marmalade?
Allison
Yes, that should work. Enjoy!