You are going to love these buttery brown sugar oatmeal cookie bars sandwiching a thick layer of jam. This is one of the easiest homemade desserts you’ll ever make, with the crust and topping made from the same mixture. Use your favorite flavor of jam.
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What sets this recipe apart
Ease: This is one of the easiest desserts ever! It only requires 15 minutes of hands on time.
Versatility: These bars can be made with any flavor of jam and they can be served warm, chilled, or room temp.
Flavor: These bars feature the crisp, buttery flavor of an oatmeal cookie paired with a fruity filling.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Oatmeal cookie dough
Make the oatmeal cookie dough for the crust and topping.
Crust
Press a little more than half of the dough into the bottom of an 8×8 pan and bake.
Jam
Top the pre-baked crust with jam.
Topping
Sprinkle the topping over the jam and bake.
My recipe testing notes and tips
Pan: Lining the pan with foil or parchment paper makes for easy removal and cleanup.
Oats: I like old fashioned oats best for this recipe, they impart the best texture.
Jam: Use any flavor of jam or preserves that you like.
Serving: These bars will be firm and can be eaten with your hands when they are room temp or chilled. If they are warm they will be softer and need to be eaten with a spoon or fork (like the photo below).
Recipe
Oatmeal Jam Bars
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ½ cup (110g) light brown sugar, packed (it should be soft and fresh)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (157g) all purpose flour, see note
- 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- generous ¾ cup (250g) 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). Lightly spray with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined (this will take at least one full minute). Sprinkle the flour over the top of the butter mixture, followed by oats, salt, and baking soda. Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until well combined.
- Pull out about ¾ cup (a little less than half) of the cookie dough and place it in the refrigerator (it will be the topping). Dump the remaining dough into the prepared pan and press it down into a flat even layer (it will seem quite buttery). Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and carefully spread the jam on top of the cookie base. Take the reserved cookie dough from the fridge and crumble it over the top of the jam layer. Return to the oven and bake for 15-18 more minutes, until the topping is light golden brown. They might still look a little wobbly but they will firm up as they cool. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
- These bars are soft when they are warm or at room temperature. If you refrigerate them they will firm up and be more sturdy.
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!
maureen says
can almond flour be used instead of wheat flour?
Allison says
No, you need then structure from the all purpose flour. If you’re trying to make them gluten free you can try a 1:1 gluten free baking blend.
Holly Kidson says
Has anyone tried freezing these and thawing them a few at a time? Really want to try this recipe but there are just two of us.
Julie says
We loved the version I made with homemade peach jam. Thank you for sharing!
Allison says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Brigitte says
So easy and a delicious way to use up some homemade jams!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Paulette says
I used homemade Lemon Blueberry jam and melted the butter in the baking pan so it would become brown butter. I like the taste of brown butter. I think it gives a richer buttery flavor. The warm bars were divine.
Allison says
That sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Tina says
I reduced the butter to 8 tbsp and the sugar to two tablespoons because my first batch (following the recipe) was too sweet. Kind of took away from the sweetness of the filling too much.
I also used a triple berry fruit spread (Smuckers) for the filling.
Everyone loved it 🙂
Thank you for the recipe!
Allison says
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your modifications. 🙂
Carol says
Made these bars today. What a fantastic recipe!!! They’re so good. Thank you.
Tina says
Have you tried adding peanut butter to the oatmeal mix for a peanut butter flavor ?
Allison says
Hi, Tina. I have not tried that. If you play around with it I’d recommend decreasing the butter. Enjoy!
Kris says
This was so good. I think it actually tastes better the next day. I was lazy and cooked it all at once instead of crust first and it turned out great.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Joy says
I have celiac. Can I use almond flour instead of wheat flour or some other flour mix? Thank you
Allison says
Hi! I usually recommend a 1:1 gluten free baking blend. I haven’t tried it with this recipe though.