jammy oat bars
I am a notorious jam junkie, and yes, there is a basis for my obsession. When I worked my very first job at Mrs. London’s in upstate NY, they carried preserves (and still do) from France. They are amazing. There are two ingredients: fruit and sugar. It’s pretty hard to find in the states, but some extensive searching led me to Fairway grocery, who carries and also ships it. Whenever I am in NYC I make it a point to seek out a Fairway and get my hands on a new jar (or few) of preserves, weighing down my tote bag with heavy glass jars as I traipse around the city. It’s like Christmas. The stuff is kind of expensive, but it’s such a treat.
Anyway, this has led me to feel like I have to try every flavor of every brand of preserves I see. And the thing is, I barely eat the stuff! I make my own bread at home fairly often, and even then I don’t utilize my stash. I’ve made jam and preserves from scratch before, using fruit that is in season. It’s hard for me to even get through it. It sits in the back corner of my fridge, neglected and lonely. I have a whole slew of them in there, my little family of jam jars. (At least they have each other?)
Since starting up my site, I’ve visited my old baking notebooks and recipe archives. I perk up whenever I see a recipe that uses jam because I don’t feel as guilty about my abandoned collection. This recipe was shared with me by my former roomie Emily (by way of her dad) and I have very slightly adapted it. It calls for apricot preserves, which is lovely with its subtle flavor, but I think it’s fine to swap out whatever flavor you like or, in my case, have been hoarding for way too long. Have an excess of jam from your summer stash? Now is a great time to use it up!
These could be made dairy-free/vegan with a butter substitute and milk alternative! I think it would be very easy to make a GF version of these with AP GF flour and GF oats.
jammy oat bars
yield: 16 small or 9 medium squares (8x8”)
1 ½ cup (200 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. spice of your choice (optional) (I used ginger)
1 ½ cup (150 g) rolled oats (aka old fashioned)
¾ cup (160 g) brown sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks, or 170 g) cold butter, cut into large chunks
1-2 Tb. milk or cream (I used oat)
¾ cup (240 g) preserves of your choice (I have used blackberry and apricot)
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Stir together the first three ingredients (four if adding spice), then stir in oats and brown sugar, breaking up any clumps. Add the butter pieces to the dry mixture, making sure all of it is coated, then cut in butter until crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, but I used my hands. I like to leave some large chunks of butter. Add enough milk/cream so the mixture isn’t too dry. You may need to squeeze the mixture together a bit to get it to become cohesive. Press half of the mixture into an 8x8” or 11x7” pan to make an even layer, then spread preserves on top, leaving a half inch border around the edges of the pan (the preserves will spread when baked). Top with the remaining crumb (I like the look of it sprinkled, not pressed in). It will completely cover your preserves. Bake for 30 minutes or until crumb topping begins to turn golden. Cool completely. Cut into the size of your choice. I like to cut my 8x8 into 16 small bars, perfect for snacking. Bars will keep well stored airtight for 3-4 days.
