Description
A recipe for chewy oatmeal bars with a tart raspberry filling, designed to be cut or pressed into a heart shape for special occasions.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam or preserves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang for easy removal.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Press two-thirds of the dough mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the oat base layer.
- Crumble the remaining one-third of the dough mixture over the jam layer.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is lightly golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the bars cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cooling fully is important for clean cutting.
- Once cool, lift the parchment paper to remove the entire slab of bars.
- Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter (about 2-3 inches wide) to cut shapes from the slab. Press the scraps together gently and cut more shapes if desired.
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend containing xanthan gum.
- To make these vegan, replace the butter with a solid vegan butter stick and use flax eggs (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg).
- If you do not have a heart cutter, you can simply cut the cooled slab into squares or rectangles.
- For a richer flavor, use slightly tart raspberry preserves instead of sweet jam.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 220
- Sugar: 18
- Sodium: 110
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 7
- Unsaturated Fat: 4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 35