This fan favorite is finally getting the spotlight!

The double berry combination screams “Summer is here!” but this bar is ideal year round. We love that it can be chilled and won’t melt at a summer picnic, but it’s also a go-to for sharing at large events, giving away (even mailing) with holiday gifts, or storing in the freezer to have on hand at a moment’s notice. The Berry Oat Bar is our most requested recipe.

In addition to versatility and delightful flavor, this bar is great because it can be staged. The dough is similar to shortbread. You cream together butter, sugars, flour and oats to form a dough and then press two-thirds of it into a sprayed sheet pan. We like to square up the sides using a bench scraper, and then chill it.

At this point you can chill it overnight, or bake it and save the baked crust for the next day.

Once the bottom crust has been formed, add more oats, and almonds if desired, to the remaining dough. This takes it from a shortbread dough to a streusel topping. Cover and chill the topping for later.

Once the bottom dough has chilled, bake it until the edges are beginning to brown and the middle is set. If your finger leaves an indentation when lightly toughing the middle then it isn’t set. Allow the crust to cool completely before finishing the bars. You can also wrap tightly and finish the next day.

Spread raspberry preserves in a thin layer on the crust. I typically don’t use the entire 15 ounce jar of preserves. Next, sprinkle fresh blueberries on the preserves. If using frozen blueberries, don’t thaw them. You want to avoid excess moisture. Resist adding fresh or frozen raspberries because they cook down to mush. The blueberry has a skin, so it maintains a nice shape.

Finally, sprinkle the streusel topping over the berries. It helps to let the topping sit out for a bit so you can break it apart. Depending on how much dough you used for the crust, you may have extra topping. Even though crumb topping is delicious, don’t overload your bars. You want to see the berries. Freeze that extra streusel for fruit crisp or muffins.

Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting. I usually bake them the day before we plan to cut and eat them. Here are some of our bar cutting tips:

Run a sharp knife along the sides of the pan to release the edges.
Make a cut in the middle of pan horizontally.
Make a cut in the middle of the pan vertically.

You now have 4 equal quadrants. With each quadrant:

Lift out gently using a bench scraper and place on a cutting board.
Cut into 12 or 16 squares depending on the desired size.
Enjoy!

Tender means easy to cut or chew, not tough. Crisp means firm, dry, and brittle. Can something be tender and crisp? This crust can! By fully baking the crust without the other layers it will remain easy to bite and not get soggy. Tender and crisp!

Berry Oat Bar

Crust:

1 lb Butter
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Granulated sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
3 1/4 cups Flour
1 1/2 cups Oats
1 tsp Salt
2 cups Additional oats and nuts

Filling:

15 oz Raspberry preserves or cherry pie filling
2-3 cups Fresh or frozen berries

Allow butter to soften to room temperature.
Stir together flour, oats, and salt.
Using flat beater, cream butter and sugars until creamy.
Add vanilla and mix well.
Add dry ingredients and mix until dough comes together and forms large clumps.
Press 2/3 of the dough into a sprayed sheet pan.
Chill the crust until firm, or overnight.
Bake crust at 350° degrees for 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown around the edges and set in the middle.
While crust is baking, mix additional oats and nuts into the remaining 1/3 dough. Reserve for topping.
Allow crust to cool. Wrap tightly if saving for the next day.
Spread preserves or pie filling onto crust.
Top with berries and reserved crumb topping.
Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes, until filling is bubbly on the edges and center is cooked through and set.
Check after 20 minutes and rotate pan.
Allow bars to cool before cutting.

print recipe