Thursday, January 14, 2016

strawberry oatmeal crumb bars

Throwback to my first baking adventure of 2016 - and it was a good one!

In traditional Chinese culture, you start the new year by eating something sweet, so you will have a "sweet" year. These strawberry oatmeal crumb bars are buttery, sweet-but-not-overly-so and conjure memories of summer.

I made these as a (not very conventional) new year's treat that conveniently uses up the rest of my homemade no pectin, no problems strawberry jam. Also, I'd been craving a chunky dessert. But do I really have to justify making these? Nah!

I adapted the recipe from Dinner, Dishes and Desserts, by readjusting the yield, reducing sugar to let the jam's sweetness come through even more, and incorporating oatmeal into the base. My parents (especially my father) were big fans of these bars. My father kept asking how the oatmeal got to be so crumbly and good; I'm pretty sure it's just the magic of butter, combined with some oven toasting action and love, the secret ingredient that makes everything taste better.




strawberry oatmeal crumbs bars (adapted from Dinner, Dishes and Desserts)
bar base
1/2 cup butter, softened and diced
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup white or brown granulated sugar
dash of cinnamon

jam
~1/2 cup strawberry jam or jam of your choice (I recommend a chunky one)

crumb topping
1/3 cup oats
1/4 Tbs cup brown granulated sugar
optional: coconut flakes, cinnamon

Yields 9 medium bars or 12 smalls bars

To form the base
1. Combine softened butter, flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon until thoroughly combined and moist. You can use a mixer on low speed or mix by hand.
2. Press roughly 3/4 of the total mixture - or enough to create a full layer on the bottom - into a greased 9x9 pan.
3. Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
To create the jam layer
4. Spread the jam evenly over the baked base.
To add the crumble topping
5. To the leftover base mixture, add more oats, brown sugar and any optional additives.
6. Combine until moistened, or until it clumps together when pinched. If the mixture is too dry, add more softened butter by the tablespoon.
7. Distribute chunks of the topping mixture over the jam, until the entire layer is covered.
8. Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes, or until crumb topping is golden brown. Let the bars cool well. If you can, refrigerate for an hour or overnight to help it firm up. Enjoy! :)

No comments:

Post a Comment