Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

5 from 11 votes

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Thick and chewy Strawberry Oatmeal Bars made with wholesome ingredients. No oil, no butter, no refined sugar and these are gluten free too!

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: Bars

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Neha

Equipment

8x8 inches Square Pan

Ingredients

2 and ¼ Cups Quick Oats
1 Cup Nut Butter (Both PB and Almond butters are fine)
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Salt
¼ Cup Honey (Wild flower gives best flavor)
¼ Cup Apple Butter (or any other fruit butter, even apple sauce works)
1 large Egg
½ Cup semi sweet Chocolate Chips

Strawberry Filling:

2 Cups Fresh Strawberries (diced)
2 tablespoon Cornstarch
2 tablespoon Cold Water
½ teaspoon Lemon Juice
¼ Cup Honey (I used Wild flower)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add and stir all the filling ingredients in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave them in 30 seconds increments. Stir in between. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
Alternatively you can prepare the filling over stove top too. Premix water and cornstarch before adding other filling ingredients so that lumps don't form.
2 Cups Fresh Strawberries, 2 tablespoon Cornstarch, 2 tablespoon Cold Water, ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice, ¼ Cup Honey
When the filling gets slightly thick. it is ready. Let the filling come to room temperature, while you prepare the base of bars.
Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C) and prep an 8x8 square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper with enough overhangs on the sides. This step will aid easy removal of bars.
In a bowl combine oats, cinnamon, nut butter, apple butter, vanilla, honey and egg. Stir till everything is mixed well.
Press the oats mixture in prepared baking pan. Reserve ¾ Cup of prepared mixture to crumble for the top layer. Now add and spread room temp strawberry filling over oats mixture.
Crumble remaining oats mixture and chocolate chips over strawberry filling. Press the topping lightly into the filling so it all sticks together.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. The topping will appear slightly brown at this point.
Allow to cool down and set completely before cutting. You can also stick them into refrigerator for 15-20 minutes if you want them to cool down faster!
Waiting before slicing the bars will prevent them from crumbling. Also the jam will set nicely during this time and your bars will cut perfectly.

Notes

Storage Info:

Bars stay fresh at room temp for 2 days and up to 5 days in refrigerator.
These Strawberry Bars are freezer friendly. Store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw before enjoying.

Quick Tips:

Oats: Quick Oats are ideal for this recipe. If you have old fashioned oats on hand, pulse them in blender till a coarse texture is achieved.
Apple Butter: Any other fruit butter can also be used here. Even apple sauce works well. If you are out of both apple butter and apple sauce, ¼ cup of butter can be used in a pinch.
Berries: Instead of strawberries, you can use blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or even cherries. A combination of berries can be used as well in the filling. Just make sure to dice raspberries, blackberries and cherries into halves before making the filling. Blueberries can be used whole.

Nutrition