These Strawberry Oatmeal Bars are easy to make and come out so soft and delicious. It’s the perfect recipe to use up those farmer’s market strawberries during the summer months!
There’s nothing better than a simple everyday kind of cake – and these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars are just perfect for this. You can almost serve them for breakfast, but they are just sweet and delicious enough as a simple afternoon snack cake.
The sweet and delicate flavors of the strawberries go beautifully with the more robust and rustic oatmeal base. A true celebration of summer, farmer’s markets and the easiest of recipes!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Berries: Frozen strawberries will work, though I recommend letting them thaw a little first for easier slicing. Feel free to use different berries – I’ve even made these with diced apples before and they came out great. You might have to play a little with the amount of cornstarch you need to thicken the filling, but otherwise you are free to mix up the berry part as much as you like.
- Flour: If you want to make these bars healthy (or healthier), you can use whole wheat flour in place of the plain flour. Even better if you have white whole wheat flour, as it tends to make more refined baked goods.
- Sweetener: You can cut the sugar in the oatmeal base in half, if you’re looking to serve these as a breakfast.
- Oats: I make this recipe with old fashioned/rolled oats, and it’s the only way I have ever tested it. If you’re going to be using quick oats, please know that your results may differ.
How to make Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
make filling make dough/batter spread ⅔ of batter in pan assemble filling and remaining batter on top and bake
1. Start by making the filling: Combine the strawberries with some sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly (this will take a few minutes). Take off the heat and set aside.
2. Make the dough: Cream the wet ingredients together first, then add the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
3. Assemble the bars: Spread ⅔ of the oatmeal batter in a lined 8×8 pan. Top with the strawberry filling, then add the remaining batter in blobs on top.
4. Bake: Bake the bars at 350°F for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven and exact pan size). Once baked, allow to cool on a cooling rack in the pan for at least 30 minutes before lifting the bars out of the pan and slicing to serve.
Recipe tips
- Do not skip cooking the filling. It only takes a few extra minutes, but the bars come out so much better. The other advantage is that you can adjust the amount of cornstarch added – if you have very juicy strawberries (or are using frozen), you can add more cornstarch if needed. The same goes for the sugar – if your berries are very tart, you can taste the cooked filling before assembling the bars and add more sugar as needed.
- Make sure to allow the bars adequate time for chilling. They are still very soft when hot and fall apart easily. You need to let them sit in the pan on a cooling rack on your counter for at least 30 minutes, but I actually prefer leaving them to cool overnight.
- Make sure to add enough “blobs” of dough/batter along the edges of the pan, especially the corners. This helps the bars to come out neater and they are easier to slice this way.
Storage tips
The bars keep at room temperature for 2 days. Once cooled, wrap them well in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container to keep them from drying out.
Keep them in the fridge in an airtight container if you want them to last for 3-4 days.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Recipe details
Ingredients
For the filling
- 10 oz chopped strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For the Oatmeal Cookie Dough:
- 1 stick softened butter (½ cup or 8 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare filling: Place all ingredients for filling in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly until berries release their juices, then set aside to cool as you continue with recipe.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8×8 inch pan with baking parchment, leaving an overhang.
- Make oatmeal batter: Beat softened butter with both sugars in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat just until fully incorporated. Evenly sprinkle flour, oats, baking powder and salt over creamed ingredients and fold in with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until stiff batter forms.
- Assemble bars: Spread ⅔ of batter in bottom of prepared pan. Spread with strawberry filling. Scatter remaining cookie dough in blobs on top.
- Bake bars: Bake for around 25-35 minutes, or until bars are set and top is golden brown. Bars will still feel soft when done. Cool bars in pan on a wire rack on counter for at least 30 minutes before lifting out to slice.
Notes
- Berries: Frozen strawberries will work, though I recommend letting them thaw a little first for easier slicing. Feel free to use different berries – I’ve even made these with diced apples before and they came out great. You might have to play a little with the amount of cornstarch you need to thicken the filling, but otherwise you are free to mix up the berry part as much as you like.
- Flour: If you want to make these bars healthy (or healthier), you can use whole wheat flour in place of the plain flour. Even better if you have white whole wheat flour, as it tends to make more refined baked goods.
- Sweetener: You can cut the sugar in the oatmeal base in half, if you’re looking to serve these as a breakfast.
- Oats: I make this recipe with old fashioned rolled oats, and it’s the only way I have ever tested it. If you’re going to be using quick oats, please know that your results may differ.
- Make sure to add enough “blobs” of dough/batter along the edges of the pan, especially the corners. This helps the bars to come out neater and they are easier to slice this way.
Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published on 05/23/2019. Updated with new photos, better text and streamlined recipe on 06/08/2021.
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Jocellyn says
These are sooo good! I’ve made them 2x in the last 10 days and they’ve been a hit with myself and my husband. The first time we did strawberry and tonight I did strawberry & (frozen) raspberries. We use gluten-free flour and it works just fine, as well as gluten free oats–in case any gf people are curious 😉 We also did the suggestion of cutting the sugar that goes into the dry ingredients in half and it works well. Last thing, the second time I did this I didn’t have enough butter, but I had shortening and I couldn’t tell the different. This is definitely a new favorite of ours! Tastes great and allows for flexibility depending on what you have on hand <3
Nora says
I’m so glad, Jocellyn! Thanks for sharing your gluten free suggestions as well. And I agree – it’s a very forgiving recipe, I’ve made it all sorts of ways for my family. It’s delicious with an apple filling in the fall!
Margo says
Hello Nora and fellow bakers! First time making these, used a 10.5×16 Pyrex and tripled the recipe. I used frozen strawberries and arrowroot powder for the thickener. I saved the strawberry juice and used it in the pot. I did need a couple TBL of water to get the dough mixed properly.
Overall, 4 stars! I actually think these will be best cold out of the fridge. A little vanilla drizzle on top would be lovely also. ?
Nora says
I’m so glad, Margo! Thanks for sharing your process and tweaks, appreciate it.
LP says
Old fashioned oats and rolled oats are the same thing. Just letting people know they likely have the ones they need already.
Nora says
Thank you, you are absolutely right. That is a mistake on my part – it’s supposed to be old fashioned rolled oats and quick oats. I’ll correct the recipe – thanks for noticing!
Hope says
How do I store these? In the refrigerator?
Nora says
Hope, they do keep wrapped on the counter for 2 days, but you can keep them in a closed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.