Easy Strawberry Oatmeal Squares Recipe Is How to Welcome Strawberry Season by Melissa Vickers

It’s strawberry picking season here in West Tennessee! A friend brought me a lovely quart of freshly picked strawberries and I needed a recipe.

I found this strawberry oatmeal bars recipe and it did those fresh strawberries justice. There’s an optional glaze that I didn’t try, but I’m sure it would be tasty, too.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Servings: 16 

Ingredients

Strawberry Bars

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (or try whole-wheat flour)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or substitute melted coconut oil to make vegan/dairy free)
• 2 cups small-diced strawberries (divided)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (divided)

Vanilla Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind you like)

Here’s how to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs to make handles.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger and salt. Pour in melted butter and stir so dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture and press the rest into the bottom of prepared pan.
3. Spread half the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle on cornstarch evenly over the top. Sprinkle lemon juice and 1/2 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Add the rest of the berries and the rest of the sugar. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs on top (you’ll see berries peaking through).
4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the fruit is bubbly, the crumb topping is lightly browned and it smells toasty! Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars from the pan, then slice into squares. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to five days.
5. Optional glaze: While the bars cool, whisk the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. Add more milk if you want a thinner glaze. Drizzle cooled bars with glaze.

Note: For a slightly less sweet topping, sift some powdered sugar on the top before cutting. You could sprinkle some almonds, pecans or walnuts over the top for some crunch.

Need help converting cooking and baking measurements? Here are some handy kitchen conversion charts.

Take 30 seconds and join the 30Seconds community and follow us on Facebook to get recipes in your newsfeed daily. Inspire and be inspired.