My friend’s mom has been making jam oat bars for years and I often go over and take some home. Last month, I asked her to teach me how to make them myself so I could have them whenever I wanted. This version of the recipe uses more sugar than hers because the original bars weren’t quite sweet enough for me. I also added lemon zest because I have learned that lemon zest makes baked goods so much better. I love these bars because they are delicious and super easy to make, and they use ingredients you can find around the house.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ cups brown sugar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 15 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 cups of your favorite jam
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 12”x14” baking pan with parchment paper and apply nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small skillet, heat the butter for four to six minutes. Be sure to stir frequently. Once it’s brown and has a nutty aroma, take it off the heat and let it cool for five minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, oats, lemon zest, salt, both sugars and baking soda. Add the browned butter and thoroughly combine, squeezing the mixture together.
- Divide the mixture into ⅓ and ⅔. Pack the bottom of the pan with the ⅔ of the mixture. Add the jam with about ¼ inch coverage, then sprinkle the remaining crumble on top, spreading evenly across the surface.
- Bake bars for about 40-45 minutes, rotating the pan at the halfway mark until the top is golden brown and the jam is bubbling around the edges.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the bars cool for 10-15 minutes before transferring to the fridge to chill for clean cutting.