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).
MORE BAR RECIPES: PEACH CRUMB BARS – BERRY CRUMBLE BARS – SUGAR COOKIE BARS – MAPLE PECAN PIE BARS – WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE 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.
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.
After baking, allow the bars to cool, and you’ll be able to cut them into clean slices. I most 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.
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.
Recipe adapted from Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookie Bars.
Jam Filled Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed (it should be soft and fresh)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- generous 3/4 cup jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8 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 3/4 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.
Ttinney says
This recipe is excellent. I tripled it and used a 9×13 pan. The base took longer to bake and puffed up very high since it was thicker but browned up nicely. I used my homemade jam in a variety of flavors. The final product was crispy around the edges and ooey gooey in the middle. The oats give a great chew! I also made a single batch using gluten free flower which was delicious as well. My coworkers were just delighted!
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment and share your experience. 🙂 -Allison
Lynette Emsley says
We have now made 2 trays of this for my son as breakfast bars as he can be a fussy eater in the daytime. We use a larger tray and make 12 bars and freeze them until we need them. My son adores them so much better than anything that can be found in a store. The recipe is fantastic and works out excellent value for money too. Delicious
Celebrating Sweets says
Thanks for the kind review! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Alva Casteel says
Can you substitute the all purpose flour with almond or coconut flour?
Celebrating Sweets says
No, those are not a substitute for all purpose flour. You should be able to use an all purpose gluten free baking blend if you need a gluten free alternative.
Renee Raschio says
These are excellent, they turned out very well, and did not make to much of a mess in the kitchen.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa says
Made this with blueberry jam and it was amazing. Great recipe. Thank you for this one!
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Jane powell says
This is a new favorite for us! Made a pan instead of a cake for my husband’s birthday treat! Easy and delicious!
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Sabrina says
What can I use to substitute the butter?
Allison says
You want something that will firm up once it cools since it helps to hold the crust and topping together. You can try something like Earth Balance, but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure.