Description
Delicious homemade fresh strawberry bars featuring a buttery oat and flour base topped with juicy strawberries and a sweet strawberry jam layer, perfectly baked to a golden finish. These bars balance fruity freshness with a crumbly texture, ideal for a snack or dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
Base and Topping
- 125 g / 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ cups / 225 g plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1½ cups / 135 g rolled oats (traditional oats, not quick, instant or steel cut)
- ½ cup / 110 g brown sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 1 egg
Filling
- 2/3 cup strawberry jam
- 2 cups chopped strawberries (about 375 g)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F) fan forced to prepare for baking the strawberry bars.
- Prepare the baking tin: Spray a 20cm (9″) square baking tin with oil and line it with baking or parchment paper, ensuring there is overhang to lift the bars out after baking.
- Mix dry ingredients: Combine the plain flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl, mixing thoroughly.
- Add wet ingredients: Stir in the melted butter and egg to the dry mixture until a sticky dough forms.
- Separate topping mixture: Reserve 1 cup of this mixture for the topping and press the remaining dough evenly into the base of the prepared tin.
- Prepare strawberry filling: In a separate bowl, gently mix chopped strawberries, white sugar, and cornflour, but do this just before assembling to prevent excess liquid.
- Layer jam and strawberries: Spread the strawberry jam evenly over the base layer, then scatter the strawberry mixture on top.
- Add crumble topping: Crumble the reserved dough over the strawberry layer by hand to cover it.
- Bake the bars: Place the tin in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the topping is a deep golden color.
- Cool and serve: Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then lift the bars out using the parchment paper. Allow to cool completely before cutting into squares and serving at room temperature.
- Storage: Store bars in an airtight container. If the environment is warm, refrigerate to keep them fresh.
Notes
- Note 1: Using a fan-forced oven ensures even heat distribution for perfectly baked bars.
- Note 2: Spreading the jam before the strawberries gives extra strawberry flavor and a sticky layer to hold the filling together.
- Note 3: Crumbling the topping by hand gives a rustic texture and helps it bake evenly into a golden crust.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Strawberry bars, oat bars, baked strawberry dessert, crumbly strawberry bars, easy fruit bars
