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!
I have been making this recipe for years. I usually use the quick cooking oats because that is what I have on it hand. I just made this last week for a church function and used my homemade peach jam instead of the raspberry. Is everybody raped about them. Instead of cutting the butter into the oats I used my food processor and pulsed a few times.
Followed exactly and these by far are the best we’ve made!
What kind of flour do you think would work best to make these gluten free? My whole family loves these but would like to make them gf/vegan if that’s a possibility..
We only tested it with AP, but I would think a 1:1 gluten free flour blend would work well. Or you could maybe try oat flour since we’re already using oats. It is a bit drier though so you may need a touch of moisture to hold it together.
You can use matzo meal as a replacement.
Didn’t have enough for the top. Had to lightly sprinkle what I had left over after I covered an 8×8 pan. I think you should up this recipe by 1 1/2 cups of flower, oats. 3/4 cup of brown sugar and add pinch more of baking soda and salt.
Incredibly easy to make! It seems like it would be a very forgiving, beginner friendly recipe. Though the recipe calls for raspberry jam, I think most jams would go excellently with it. It was also very quick to make – I was nearly done prepping everything by the time my oven finished preheating. This is a great way to use up jam, and the bars have a really nice texture. The brown sugar was a really nice addition, though, I did find the the amount of sugar paired the jam to be a bit overly sweet. I think I’ll halve the brown sugar amount next time, and maybe add a tiny splash of vanilla to crumble for an extra bit of flavor. Otherwise they were delicious!
Soooooo good! I make it in a muffin tin. Makes them much easier to transport and eat!
I ended up using a 9-inch pan and then not reading the directions (totally my fault!) and using ALL the mixture for the bottom crust. So I made a quick half-batch of the oat mix for the top and made a nice big batch of these. I did need extra jam and baked a little longer. We’ll be making these again and again!
I just did this too. It’s too late to save it. I put it in the freezer to harden the jam. It’s like jam on a biscuit.
I will get it right next time!
These are fantastic!! I made the bars with a quick homemade raspberry jam for a work function and my co-workers wouldn’t stop raving about them. Incredibly easy to make even for those with limited baking experience.
We love these. I make them every week for breakfast. Would also be great as a dessert with vanilla ice cream. Ran short of all-purpose flour & used whole wheat flour to make up the difference. Could whole wheat be substituted entirely?
I zested a lemon and added some of its juice to the rest of my jar of strawberry jam, mixed it thoroughly, and added to the oat mix. I think it adds a really tasty brightness. I just adore this recipe!
Love the concept of the recipe but they are much too sweet for me. If I make them again I will definitely be using less sugar.
How long will these keep?
These bars will keep for about a week when refrigerated and stored in an air-tight container. (To prevent them from absorbing odor and moisture, as Beth mentions in the post.) ~ Marion :)
OMG 🤩 these are amazing! THANK YOU BETH 💜 these will be a go to recipe for quick morning snacks and for work!
Side note – I was short on jam by 1/4 cup so I threw in some sad diced strawberries (that I patted dry) over the jam and it was superb👏👏👏
Perfection on the first try! Used 2/3 of the oat mix on the bottom and 1/3 on top. Nice balance of crispy base to fluffy topping. Just the right amount of jam. Super easy and quick.