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).
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
Related recipes
WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS
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
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Kim Watson
I made these and sent them in to my husband’s shop and they went crazy! I send them in twice a week now, and if they’re late, he hears about it! I use either raspberry or marionberry jam, and they are now one of our very favorite treats to bake!
Allison
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
lisa constantino
Love these..added some ricotta swirled in with the jam..😋
Carol Loe
Delicious! Everyone loved them. Tried strawberry rhubarb & next am trying a blueberry and also sour cherry.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Victoria Cook
These were so good I had to stop myself from eating half the pan!
Allison
Ha! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Helen
The bars look great! I was wondering if I could add some chocolate chips also?
Allison
Sure. You can add them when adding the topping. Maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup? I also have a chocolate (Nutella) version of these bars: Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal Cookie Bars Enjoy!
Deb in SC
OMWord!!!! I made these with good quality raspberry jam and they were TO DIE FOR!!! So easy and so quick…thank you so much for this recipe. What I also appreciated is that after cooling and chilling, they cut PERFECTLY after I lifted them out of the pan. I can’t wait to try the rest of the recipes listed with this one!
Allison
Thanks for the kind review. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Carla
My children love this easy to make snack.
I am planning to teach my 13 year old to make it. She loves baking.
Allison
Fantastic! Enjoy!
T
This has become my signature dessert to bring to events! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe, and it always turns out great. I always at least double it, sometimes make it in bars in a pan, but often make these in a cupcake tin so they’re easier to grab at parties! I like to make all different flavors depending on the season, and sometimes stop at our local ice cream shop for a pint of vanilla bean ice cream to top these bars. Seriously, a huge hit. I am going to try crafting a spiced apple filling for fall! Thank you!!!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Miranda
This was my first time baking an oatmeal bar, I thought I needed to double the crust as there was barely enough to cover the bottom of my 8” pan. Well I had no clue it would rise so much and ended up taking 45 min to bake solid enough for the jam not to collapse through. My crust is thick but the bar is so delicious! Will definitely keep this recipe!
Laurie Reemsnyder
This was so insanely easy and good, I “ran out” of the first batch and had to make a second one! There is absolutely nothing to not like about these! Perfect taste, texture, and sweetness. Brings me back to when I was a kid and we’d go to a nearby bakery! Heavenly!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
monica
would I be able to use a 9 inch square pan to make these?
Allison
I wouldn’t recommend it. The bars are pretty thin in an 8×8, I’m not sure that you’ll have enough for a 9×9.