Strawberry Oatmeal Bars (2024)

These are a very simple variation of these snacks that I posted back in the very early days of The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I made the strawberry version for one of my earlier Food Network episodes, and it’s turned out to be a favorite—partly because they’re perfectly delicious, and partly because they’re so ridiculously simple to make. I have to say, I prefer the strawberry version to any other variety; the flavor of the strawberry preserves just has that comfort food quality that can’t be beat.

And you have to eat these with a glass of ice cold milk. It’s a requirement.

Throw some flour in a bowl. As you take the photo of this, notice that you have shown up in the reflection of the bowl and that your cowlick has never looked more psychotic. Be concerned that the photo will scare small children, then retake the photo so that your reflection is no longer visible.

Add some oats. I’ve used both regular oats and quick oats, depending on what I’ve neglected to buy in recent weeks or months, and they both turn out just great.

If you use quick oats, the oatmeal layers will be a little more crumbly, which is delicious.

If you use regular oats (as I did with the apricot version), the oatmeal layer will hold together a little more like an oatmeal cookie, which is delicious.

You can’t go wrong!

Next comes brown sugar…

Baking powder…

And salt! It’s as simple as that.

Now stir the dry ingredients together…

Next, cut up a buncha buttah…

And throw it into the bowl.

Use a pastry cutter to cut-cut-cut the butter into the dry ingredients.

When you’re finished, the mixture should be more combined than this. (See the apricot version, although the finished product is still just delicious either way.) My butter was COLD, as in cold, and I didn’t have any fight left in me.

If you let the butter soften just slightly, it cuts a lot easier.

I think I gave myself tennis elbow.

Butter a baking dish.

Then pour just under half the mixture into the dish. I always do a little under half on the first layer, because I don’t want to wind up with not quite enough for the top layer. This happened to me before, and I was furious with myself for MONTHS.

Not really.

Pat the first layer so that it’s somewhat packed…

Then grab some strawberry preserves (or any preserves)…

And spoon it all over the surface of the first layer.

Very gently spread the preserves into a thin layer, being careful not to drag the oat mixture along with you.

Then sprinkle the remaining oat mixture…

All over the top!

The pat the top very, very gently just to get it slightly packed on top.

Pop it in the oven for about 35-40 minutes until it’s nice and golden brown, and I’ll warn you that your kitchen will smell so good you’ll want to weep.

And okay, I didn’t get a chance to take photos of the finished pan until the next day, when almost half the bars were history.

These things are…delicious.

Just delicious. Marlboro Man ate three.

Then a few hours later, he ate three again.

He’s a hard working man with the metabolism of a hummingbird, so he can get away with these things. The butthead.

Here’s the handy dandy printable! If you haven’t made these before, give ’em a try. I guarantee you they’ll be a favorite in your family.