I don’t do desserts too often, and when I do they’re usually made with simple pantry staples that I know I’m already going to have on hand. These super easy Raspberry Oatmeal Bars are the perfect example. They’re just flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, butter, and whatever jam you happen to have (in this case raspberry). This is the perfect fun weekend baking project for when you don’t want to go out to get more ingredients and you don’t want to make anything that is too difficult, but you definitely want something sweet. 😉
What Do They Taste Like?
These raspberry oatmeal bars are basically made out of the same mix that you’d use as a crumb topping for a pie. It’s rich, buttery, and has a good amount of texture, thanks to the rolled oats. When you compress this mix into a baking dish it becomes more solid and provides a base layer for the bars, but when you sprinkle it over top, it acts more like a loose crumb topping. And then you can put whatever flavor jam you like in the center!
Do Raspberry Oatmeal Bars Need to Be Refrigerated?
While you don’t need to store the baked oatmeal bars in a refrigerator, they hold their shape better when chilled, so I do prefer to keep mine refrigerated. Make sure they’re in an air-tight container to prevent them from absorbing odor and moisture.
Can I Use Quick Oats?
I used old-fashioned rolled oats for this recipe because they provide a lot more texture to the crumble mixture. You can use quick oats, which as smaller, softer pieces, in place of the rolled oats if needed.
Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
Servings 9Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp Butter ($0.88)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour ($0.10)
- 1 cup rolled oats ($0.18)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar ($0.32)
- 1/4 tsp baking soda ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.01)
- 1 cup raspberry jam ($1.35)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a ½ tsp of the butter to grease the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Cut the remaining butter into chunks, add it to the bowl with the flour and oat mixture, and use your hands to work the butter into the mixture until everything looks sort of crumbly or like damp sand, and no large lumps of butter remain.
- Pour half of the oat mixture into the baking dish and press it down until it forms a solid layer.
- Stir the jam to break up any clumps, then drop the jam in small spoonfuls onto the pressed oat mixture in the baking dish. Try to stay away from adding the jam too close to the edges. It's okay if the jam doesn't form a solid layer. Do not try to spread it with a spoon or knife.
- Once all of the jam has been added on top of the bottom oat layer, sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top, leaving it loose and crumbly.
- Bake the oat bars for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely golden. Remove the bars from the oven, allow them to cool, then cut into nine squares and serve.
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Equipment
Nutrition
How to Make Raspberry Oatmeal Bars – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use about ½ tsp of butter to grease the inside of an 8×8-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup rolled oats, ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ tsp baking soda, and ⅛ tsp salt. Stir until everything is very well combined.
Add 8 Tbsp butter (minus the ½ tsp used to butter the dish) to the bowl with the flour, oats, and sugar.
Work the butter into the flour and oats until the mixture looks a bit crumbly or damp. No large lumps of butter should remain.
Pour half of the oat mixture into the baking dish, spread it out evenly, and then press it down until it is in a solid layer.
Drop 1 cup raspberry jam (or your favorite flavor) onto the oat mixture, avoiding placing the jam right up against the baking dish (this makes it harder to remove the bars after baking). It helps if you stir the jam well first to break up any clumps, then you can drop small dollops onto the oat mixture to create a fairly even layer. Don’t try to spread the jam with a spoon or knife, as it will pull up the oat mixture.
Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over top of the jam. Leave this layer loose, do not try to press it into a solid layer.
Bake the raspberry oat bars in the preheated 350ºF oven for 30 minutes, or until the topping is nicely golden brown. Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting it into nine squares and serving. Running a knife around the edge to loosen any jam that may have baked onto the dish helps when removing the squares from the dish.
Enjoy the buttery, crumbly, oat goodness!
Ok, so I made these with sugar free strawberry preserves (I meant to buy raspberry, but when I got home, I had strawberry). They are AMAZING!!! We have been eating them for breakfast for the last few days – I don’t think they’ll last much longer. My husband is absolutely addicted & I think they might be added into our weekly rotation.
My husband loooooves these. We call them Jam Jam’s. They are definitely in the top five desserts he requests and I don’t complain because they are super easy to make!
I usually keep old fashioned oats on hand instead of quick-cooking. How much of a difference do you think it would take in cook time or liquid needed?
I think you could get away with the same liquid and cook time, but the texture of the bar will be a bit more coarse and crumbly. Still delicious, I’m sure!
These are so delicious! My son just told me they are the best bars he has ever tasted. I used coconut oil in place of the butter. Thanks so much for another awesome recipe! I love your site!
Made this tonight to take to a dinner along with the summer veggie tian. They were a huge hit! Everyone asked for the recipes and there were no left overs. You will have some new followers.
I used blueberry preserves and it turned out great! During the filling of the baking dish I felt like I wouldnt have enough oat mixture to cover the entire thing, but it worked out okay in the end.
These were amazing! I used wheat flour and smartbalance 50/50 butter blend. Turned out AWESOME and they were so yummy! I mixed raspberry and strawberry preserves and they are to die for!
dont put in 1/4 cup baking soda.
To make a little healthier, substitute the butter with coconut oil.
These are wonderful! I use these as snacks for my kiddos. The first time I made them I realized I had forgotten to buy jam…..so I pureed some frozen berries I had and it turned out wonderful. I just made my second batch(double) and I used half the sugar, a little extra oats and the frozen berries. Can’t wait to see how they turn out!!!! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! I visit your site every Saturday to plan my weekly menu. I use about 95% of your recipes. :o)
i shall half the butter!
Made these with mixed berry jam and with white sugar in an 8×8 square pan! Thank you for the recipe, I’ll stay true to the recipe next time!
I used raspberry preserves the first time I tried this recipe and it was delicious! The second time around I used some left over baby food apples. (its just applesauce, but I added cinnamon and a little bit of sugar and nutmeg) It turned out really well. I’m on WIC and they gave me a ton of free baby food, but my baby never really ate any of it. She just eats whatever we’re eating. So now I have hundreds of jars of baby food and I’m trying to come up with recipes to use it all. This one was great! Thanks.
Perfect springtime quick dessert. I think I’ll try it and throw in some flax seed and sub maybe 1/4 C of the flour with oat bran — could become a breakfast bar with those additions. Thanks for this post; love your site!
I make something like this every Christmas, but I use cream cheese somewhere in it, so it’s even more unhealthy. Hence the reason I make it only once a year.