Whip up an easy batch of these one-bowl Oatmeal Jam Bars for delicious fresh fruit flavor year round. Easy to make, easy to share, and freezer friendly!
If you know one thing about my dessert preferences, it’s probably that I love fruit desserts above all other desserts.
As such, I love baking in the summer. So much wonderful ripe fresh fruit – I just can’t get enough!
But as we move into fall, and now into the dead of winter – it’s hard. Fruit options are pretty slim – berries are expensive and many other summer staples are nowhere to be found.
The good news? You can find good quality jam year-round, and it’s the perfect way to get your fruit dessert fix – and it’s even easier than baking with fresh fruit! (Prefer to bake with whole fruit instead? Try these Berry Oatmeal Crumble Bars!)
Not only are these oatmeal jam bars easy (and fruity), they’re perfect to share with friends or neighbors (individually cut desserts: so social distancing friendly!) or to stock in your freezer for a later day.
And most importantly: they’re really delicious. I shared these with a friend who has sampled many, many of my desserts over the past 5 years, and she declared this one of her top 5 favorites.
An easy, foolproof dessert that can be made days (or months!) ahead of time, requires all ingredients that are easy to keep in your kitchen, and rave-worthy? Yes, please!
The crust for these is seriously easy — as in, one bowl, mix by hand, level easy.
And the best part: the crust pressed into the bottom of the pan and the mixture sprinkled on top of the bars is exactly the same.
To keep this easy, we’re using melted butter in the crust – no need to pull out a mixer to cream the butter or cut cold pieces of butter into the dough.
Stir in flour, rolled oats (the old-fashioned kind – not a packet of oatmeal), and a few other ingredients, mixing just until combined, then press roughly 2/3rds of the mixture into your baking pan.
Feel free to use your favorite good quality jam or fruit preserves for the filling — personally, I’m partial to blueberry with some fresh lemon zest. (I love love love blueberry desserts.)
One thing I don’t recommend? Using jelly. Why is jam better than jelly for most baking? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!
Kitchen Chemistry
The fruit flavor in jelly comes from fruit juice, while jam uses fruit pulp or mashed fruit. Because jam uses crushed whole fruit, it tends to be less stiff and more flavorful. Since it contains the whole fruit that has been cooked down, jam also holds its texture better when baked.
Jam (or fruit preserves, which have large chunks of fruit than jam) packs more fruit flavor, is easier to spread an even layer across the oatmeal crust, and maintains a better texture when baking.
It’s a fairly similar consistency to cooking down lots of fresh berries with sugar before making a pie – but easy to find year-round, whether or not it’s berry season!
Any good quality jam or fruit preserve will work, but avoid jelly if possible. Some of my favorite brands for baking include Bonne Maman, Sarabeth’s, and Crofters.
The easiest answer to this, by far, is to use a rectangular springform pan (affiliate link) – after removing the sides, the bars can be cut on the pan. Otherwise, line your baking pan with foil leaving an overhang on each edge, and lift out of the pan once fully cooled.
Cool the bars completely before cutting. The bars will crumble if you try to cut them while still warm.
These freeze wonderfully. Wrap individual bars in aluminum foil and store them in a freezer-safe plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
Whip up an easy batch of these one bowl, one spoon Oatmeal Jam Bars for delicious fresh fruit flavor year round.
Bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, wrap bars in plastic wrap and store in a zippered freezer bag.
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This Oatmeal Jam Bars recipe was originally published on 12/08/2016 and republished with new photos and helpful tips on 01/29/2021.