Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars (Gluten-Free)

Strawberry jam oatmeal bars are a pressed oat and almond flour base, a layer of jam and a crumble lid, baked in one tin for about 35 minutes. They are gluten-free and vegan, bound with flax rather than egg. The one thing that decides whether they slice cleanly is how thick the jam is.

Pair these bars with a summer menu of avocado toast for breakfast, a colourful summer salad for lunch, and a mouth-watering Eggplant Tofu from Panda Express for dinner.

Why does strawberry jam need special handling here?

Strawberries are low in natural pectin and high in water, which is why strawberry jam tends to have a looser set than most other jams. In a jar that is lovely. Spread between two layers of oats and baked for half an hour, it turns into liquid, soaks straight down into the base and gives you a wet middle that will not hold a cut edge.

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Three things sort it out:

• Use a jam that mounds on the spoon. If it slides off, it is too loose. A chia-set jam works well because the chia holds the water rather than releasing it in the oven.
• Cook a loose jam down first. Simmer it in a small pan for five minutes and let it cool before it goes near the tin. It will thicken as it cools.
• Leave a border. Stop the jam a centimetre short of the edges. It spreads under heat, and jam that reaches the tin welds itself to the sides.

Strawberry flavour also fades in the oven more than darker berries do, so a teaspoon of lemon zest or a squeeze of juice stirred through the jam keeps it tasting of fruit rather than just sweet.

Ingredients for Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars

• Quick-cooking oats: they are the key to soft, tender oat bars
• Almond flour: Almond flour adds a rich, nutty flavour and is a great gluten-free alternative
• Quinoa flour: Quinoa flour is full of plant-based protein and is easy to find.
• Maple syrup: Maple syrup is perfect for this recipe; it is a natural sweetener that goes well with strawberries and oatmeal. You can replace it with agave syrup.
• Coconut oil: Coconut oil is solid below about 24°C, so it sets firm as the bars cool and holds the crumb together in place of gluten
• Flax Egg: Flax Egg is an egg substitute made from flaxseed and hot water (see our complete guide on vegan egg substitutes).
• Strawberry jam: I suggest you make this 15-minute strawberry chia jam; you can use storebought for this recipe.

How to Make Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars

Step 1: Heat your oven to 350 F (175°C) and line a 9-inch (23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the slab out later. Set it aside.

Step 2: Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. After that, pour the maple syrup and coconut oil into the bowl, and then use your hands to mix everything together until it looks like crumbly sand. If the coconut oil has been sitting in a cold kitchen, warm it just to liquid first, or it will seize into hard beads. Set aside a third of the dough to use as a topping later.

Step 3: Add the flax egg and press the oatmeal dough mixture firmly and evenly into the baking pan to make a base layer. Firmly is the word here, a loosely pressed base crumbles when you cut it. The back of a measuring cup does a better job than your fingers.

Step 4: Spread your strawberry jam evenly over the oatmeal dough, stopping short of the edges. Scatter the reserved oat mixture on top in clumps rather than an even blanket, so the crumble browns in patches and stays crunchy.

Step 5: Place the pan in the oven and bake your oat bars for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping turns a deep golden brown and the jam is bubbling gently at the edges. Pale topping means underbaked, and underbaked bars fall apart.

Step 6: Let the slab cool completely in the tin, then chill it for an hour before cutting. This is not optional. The coconut oil has to set hard again for the bars to hold their shape, and warm bars will collapse no matter how well you pressed the base. Cut with a long knife in one downward push rather than sawing.

Step 7 (Optional): Pour some melted coconut butter over the bars after they have cooled to make a glaze.

What Makes These Bars Special?

The almond and quinoa flours give these bars a nuttier, more savoury base than a plain oat slice, and they carry more protein, so a bar sits better as a breakfast than most muesli slices do. The flax egg keeps it vegan, and a homemade chia jam lets you control how sweet and how thick the fruit layer is.

How long do these bars keep?

• You can keep your oat bar leftovers at room temperature for up to four days in an airtight container. In a warm Australian summer, move them to the fridge instead, since the coconut oil softens above about 24°C and the bars go crumbly.
• Freeze for up to three months and let thaw at room temperature. Wrap them individually and they go straight into a lunchbox frozen, thawing by morning tea.

Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars Recipe

These Strawberry Jam Oatmeal Bars are a great way to welcome summer. These gluten-free and vegan treats will satisfy your sweet tooth without making you feel bad. These oat bars are made with wholesome ingredients like almond flour, quinoa flour, and flax. Great for picnics, cookouts, or just treating yourself at home.

Ingredients

• 3 cups of quick cooking oats (270 g, make sure they are gluten-free)
• 1 cup of almond flour (100 g)
• 1 cup of quinoa flour (120 g)
• 1/4 tsp of fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (125 ml)
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted (120 ml)
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp of flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp of hot water)
• 1 cup of this homemade strawberry jam (320 g, you can also use storebought)
• Optional: drizzle with melted coconut butter

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350F (175°C), line a 9” (23 cm) baking pan with parchment paper, and set aside.
• Using a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Pour maple syrup and coconut oil into the mixture, and crumble with your hands until achieving a coarse, sandy texture - Reserve 1/3 of the dough for the topping.
• Stir in the flax egg by mixing 1 Tablespoon of flaxseed and 3 Tablespoons of hot water, then transfer the dough into the baking pan and press it evenly and firmly.
• Spread your strawberry jam over the layer of oat dough, stopping short of the edges. Sprinkle with the reserved oat topping.
• Bake in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes until the outer crust is golden brown. Let it cool completely, then chill for an hour before cutting it into squares and serving.
• If you wish, you can drizzle some melted coconut butter for an icing effect.

FAQs

Can I use rolled oats instead of quick oats?

You can, but the bars come out chewier and looser. Rolled oats are thicker and absorb less of the syrup and oil during baking, so the base does not knit together as tightly. If rolled oats are all you have, pulse about a third of them in a food processor for a few seconds first. That gives you enough fine oat to bind the rest.

Can I use frozen strawberries instead of jam?

Not directly. Frozen strawberries release a great deal of water as they thaw and will flood the base. Cook them down first with a tablespoon of maple syrup and a tablespoon of chia seeds, simmer until thick, then cool completely before spreading. You are essentially making the jam, which is the point of using jam in the first place.

Are oats gluten-free?

Oats do not naturally contain gluten, but they are very commonly grown and milled alongside wheat, so standard oats are usually cross-contaminated. If gluten matters for you, buy oats specifically labelled gluten-free. Rules on how oats can be labelled differ between countries, and in Australia oats cannot be sold as gluten-free at all, so look for uncontaminated or wheat-free labelling here.

Can I swap the quinoa flour?

Yes. Buckwheat flour is the closest match in texture and gives a similar earthy note. Oat flour works and makes the bars softer and sweeter. A cup-for-cup gluten-free blend is fine too, though the bars lose some protein and taste plainer. Avoid coconut flour as a straight swap, since it drinks up far more liquid and will dry out the base.

Hey, you already know what to do if you love these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. Pin the image below to your Pinterest board to show it some love.

Video Recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbFzMJejJnM&ab\_channel=Veganiac

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