Strawberry oat bars are made with almond flour, rolled oats and strawberry jam for a flavorful treat!
Happy Mother’s Day, friends! The recipe I’m sharing today is inspired by my mom. She loves making strawberry jam crumble bars and I wanted to put my own spin on it!
These strawberry jam bars are made with almond flour, oats, brown sugar and butter to create a rich, flavorful crumble. I don’t bake with almond flour often, but this seemed like the perfect occasion.
Almond Flour Crumble
This is my first time making a crumble with almond flour instead of whole wheat flour. I had to do a little extra research to make sure I was hitting all the ratios correctly.
To start, almond flour has a higher protein and fat content than normal flour (not to mention it has more moisture). As a result, the crust and crumble for these bars is extra flavorful, but also more dense.
Rolled oats are added to the crumble to offset the high moisture content of almond flour. Meanwhile, the melted butter holds everything together!
Almond flour bars from scratch
The steps to make the almond flour bars are rather simple. Whisk together the dry ingredients (almond flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt). Then, stir in the melted butter.
Stir just until the crumble start to form (avoid over stirring). You want little balls of crumble so it has some texture when sprinkled on top of the jam.
Split this mixture into parts. Use two-thirds of the mixture for the bottom layer crust and one-third for the crumble topping. I kind of eye ball it. The bottom crust is about 1/4-inch to 1/3-inch thick.
I suggest using your hands, the back of a spoon or the bottom of a metal measuring cup to press the mixture into the pan. It helps create an even layer and a sturdy bottom crust!
Strawberry Jam for Baking
My favorite flavor jam is strawberry. It lends itself to many recipes (like Linzer cookies). The better quality jam you can find, the better your bars will taste. I like the kind of jam that has a little bit of strawberry chunks in it too (sometimes I use preserves). Whatever I find at a local farmer’s market usually does the trick, but you can always find Bonne Maman at the grocery store.
This recipe will also work well with raspberry jam, blackberry jam or apple preserves.
More Mother’s Day Recipes
Here are a few more recipes that were inspired by my mama! What recipes did she teach you?
- Mom’s perfect lemon bars
- The best banana bread ever
- Easy flourless chocolate cake
- Mom’s homemade apple pie recipe
Strawberry Almond Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups (208 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/3 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup good quality strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8×8 metal baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with nonstick spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Use a fork to stir in the melted butter. Mix until clumps being to form.
- Transfer 2/3 of the mixture to the prepared baking pan. Use your fingers or the back of a spoon or measuring cup to press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set remaining crumble aside (it will be the topping).
- Spread the jam evenly over the crust layer.
- Add the slivered almonds to the remaining crumble mixture and sprinkle the mixture over the jam layer.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the crumble is lightly browned. Cool bars completely at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Store bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Paula says
These bars sound delicious! Already bookmarked them to try them out. I’m loving baking with almond flour lately. Thanks!!