We’re big fans of strawberries at our house. Can you tell? These Double Strawberry Oat Bars are just one of the many ways I work strawberries into our menus during their season in Arkansas.
I know I’ve probably worn you out telling you just how terrific our Arkansas berries are. But ya’ll, they really are! One variety, Ozark Beauty, seems to explode “strawberryness” in your mouth with each and every bite. I sure hope you get to enjoy a few. Or more.
These cookie bars make super lunch box or picnic treats. I like to wrap them individually after cutting and freeze them. Whenever you are packing a lunch or the picnic basket, just pull them from the freezer and pop in the lunch pail or basket and you’re set to go.
If they last long enough to make it to the freezer that is.
I think it’s important to use all-fruit jam in these. The flavor of the fruit is so much stronger, and it really is more fruit than sugar. You can use frozen berries, but I think the fresh ones have so much more flavor there as well.
So while I’m off enjoying a few grandparent days with the Perfect Ones, I hope you’ll head on into the kitchen and whip up a batch of these strawberry beauties. Let me know if any of them make it into your lunch box or picnic basket.
Get real!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups unsalted butter, cut into slices and chilled, divided in half
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
- 1/1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 1 cup all-fruit strawberry jam
- 2 cups thinly sliced fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with foil so long enough that it forms "handles" on all sides of the pan. This will assist in removing the bars from the pan after they are cooked.
- Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix the flour, granulated sugar and salt until well combined.
- Cut in the 1 cup of butter using a pastry cutter of two forks until the mixture resembles coarse corn meal. A food processor may be used but do not over process.
- Remove approximately 1 1/4 cups of the flour mixture and set aside. Press the remainder of the flour mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan.
- Bake 15-18 minutes until the edges just begin to brown.
- Add the brown sugar, oats and chopped nuts to the reserved flour mixture, stirring gently to mix well.
- Cut in the remaining butter until it is fully incorporated creating a streusel topping. Set aside.
- Mix the strawberry preserves with the lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberry extract and cinnamon.
- Stir in the fresh strawberries and mash gently with a fork, leaving some of the berry slices whole. Spread evenly over the hot bottom crust as soon as it is removed from the oven.
- Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the filling but do not press it into the berry mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the topping is golden brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before removing from the pan by lifting with the foil handles. Cut into desired size for serving.
- Store in an airtight container. These are best eaten the day they are made as the topping will soften after that. The bars will still be good to eat, however.
