Easy Grab-and-Go Breakfast or Snack

These oatmeal strawberry jam bars deliver the perfect balance of flavor and versatility! I enjoy them for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack.

They’re a wonderful replacement for a simple bowl of oatmeal! I also put a couple of them in a small container and drop them into my bag so I can munch on them later when I need nourishment.

I like to make these oatmeal jam bars as clean as possible, so I when I make them I use organic preserves and regular rolled oats. It’s easy to get the kids to eagerly have a breakfast cookie.

When I have them for a sit-down breakfast, I like to serve them with some fluffy scrambled eggs and some sort of meat, like turkey sausage.

Oatmeal Jam Bar Ingredients

You probably have most, if not all of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge. Here are the items you’ll need:

• Rolled oats
• Almond flour (or regular all-purpose flour if you prefer)
• Melted butter
• Brown sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Salt
• Jam or preserves

Simple Step-by-Step Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a baking pan (either 7” x 9” or 8” x 8”) with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the oats, almond flour, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large mixing bowl. You can use a medium-size one, but I like to make sure everything stays in the bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed.

Next, add the melted butter. Stir the mixture until all of the dry ingredients are coated. The texture should be somewhat crumbly, kind of like wet sand with a little oatmeal in the mix.

Now pour 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of your greased baking pan. Spread it out and pack it down. This forms the bottom crust to support the bars. You can use the back of a spoon or your hands to do this. If the mixture sticks to your spoon, all you have to do is spritz it with nonstick spray.

After that, place the preserves in a microwave safe bowl. Heat it on high in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until it is runny and easy to spread. You can spread it cold, but it tends to pick up the crust from the bottom, and it’s much more difficult to work with.

Now, pour the jam over the bottom crust in the pan. Smooth it out evenly using the back of a spoon.

Next, sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture over the top. Gently press it down with your fingertips to make sure it sticks to the jam. The topping won’t completely cover the jam, but it does add a layer of satisfying crunch. 

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Cool the Bars

Since the strawberry jam will still be very gooey, I recommend refrigerating the pan of uncut bars for at least an hour. This gives it more time to set. After it has had time to chill, cut the bars into squares or rectangles. I usually get about 12-15 bars per pan.

Ingredient Alternatives

You can make these jam bars without oatmeal if you want. All you have to do is eliminate the oats and double the almond flour. Doing this changes the texture quite a bit, but they should still taste good.

If you want to leave out the jam, you can use a nut butter instead. I’ve made these bars with creamy peanut butter, and I really like them.

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