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 our Almond Jam Bars or Raspberry Crumb 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
Related recipes
WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS
Recipe
Jam Filled Oatmeal Bars
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (157g) all purpose flour, see note
- 1 cup (90g) old fashioned oats
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup (110g) light brown sugar, packed (it should be soft and fresh)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 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 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 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!
Sheryljkt
Really easy to make and eat! Just came here to say I used fig jam and grated orange peel over the filling, to tamp down the sweetness. So delicious. They will not last long.
Allison
That flavor combo sound delicious!
Cindy
I made these for the first time today, hoping to replicate a delicious strawberry granola bar I ate while traveling. Although it’s not quite the same, I really love these bars and they are quick and easy. I used a second square pan with parchment to pat down the topping mixture into a square to place on top after the jam. I also used the 4 fruits jam & it’s delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Allison
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Erica Louter
I made these to clear out a bunch of opened jams I had in my fridge – and ill definitely be making them again! They were delicious with raspberry, fig, peach and apricot jam!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Amy
These bars are my favourite way to use up cranberry sauce after holiday meals. I mix in about a 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries with whatever is left from the can of cranberry sauce and they turn out fantastic. They do need to bake a bit longer with the added fruit.
Allison
That’s great to hear. Thanks for stopping by!
JulieS
Delicious! I used homemade chunky peach jam and added a handful of chopped pecans to the dough. Hubby says this is a keeper!
Allison
That sounds delicious! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Mervin Powell
Great recipe! I make them with homemade blueberry jam. My favorite jam bars!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Michelle
Do these bars freeze well?
Allison
I haven’t tried freezing them but my guess is that they would freeze fine.
Jill
Made this but into muffin tins and some homemade jelly! Soo good!! Will make again! Thank you!!
Allison
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Laurie
Made these tonight and they were soooo yummy. Can’t wait for my coworkers to taste them. Thank you!!
Allison
You are very welcome! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Lydia
I’ve been making these almost weekly, they’re so tasty and easy to make! I love experimenting with different jams flavors or mixing. I recently made them with blueberry jam with a sprinkle of fresh blueberries before adding the crumble, and OH MY the fresh berries leveled up this already tasty treat!
Allison
That sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂