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These Jam Bars can be made in minutes using your favorite flavor of jam in between a base and topping topping of oatmeal, butter and sugar.
Oatmeal Jam Bars
I recently had lunch with an older friend. During lunch we got talking about old family recipes and how much we love a recipe written out by hand, especially when it is in the handwriting of someone we know. We also talked about how every recipe has a story behind it. Bev shared with me the stories behind the recipes she had made us for lunch that day.
Of course I had to ask her for the recipes for the things she made for lunch!
On the back of the recipe for the Apricot Jam Bar Cookies she wrote the following :
“This is a recipe I copied from my mother before I was married in 1962. I left the “oleo” here in the recipe for fun as you never see that anymore. So you know this is an old recipe. All my mother’s family, who were all great cooks have “oleo” in their recipes. We are from Ohio. My family has enjoyed this recipe for 50 years. Make sure Jim gets his share!”
Do I Have to Use Apricot Jam?
Bev used apricot jam for her cookies but you can use any flavor of jam you like. I have some cherry jam in my cupboard I am going to try next! We also love strawberry jam bars using my homemade strawberry jam in them.
How to Make Jam Bars
Combine baking powder, brown sugar, old fashioned oats, and butter in a bowl using a pastry cutter to combine ingredients until nice and crumbly.
- Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
- Cover crust with 1 cup of your jam and then top with remaining flour/oat mixture.
- Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until nice and golden brown.
- Allow them to cool and then cut them into bars and then of course enjoy!
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Other bar cookies you might enjoy:
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- Key Lime Bars
- Sour Cream Apple Bars
- White Chocolate Raspberry Bars
- Lemon Curd Bars
Jam Bar Recipe
Jam Bar
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup cold butter
- 1 cup jam of choice
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking powder, oats and brown sugar together.
- Cut in butter until crumbly.
- Pat 2/3 of this mixture into a 8 x 13 baking pan
- Spread with jam
- Top with remaining flour/oat mixture
- Bake at 350 for 35 minutes
- Cut into bars.
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Nutrition Facts:
Chris says
Loved it! These old fashioned recipes are the best!
I used some homemade apricot jam. I added a half teaspoon of salt as another reviewer recommended and I melted the butter, instead of cutting it in. Looking forward to making it again!
Erin Kelly-Collins says
I made this today with leftover apricot preserves. Would recommend a bit of salt added to the recipe. Would help to enhance flavor.
Marilyn Brown says
Such a good old fashioned cookie!! Delicious!
I love jam so I layer several kinds of jam side by side and you get
a nice selection—-apricot, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry!
Yum!
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
The old ones are often the best ones, aren’t they!!
Noaya says
These are delicious! I just found a can of apricot jam that I made in the summer and forgot to use (because I found out I wasn’t a huge fan of apricot when it’s in jam form, LOL). So I decided to make these, and when they came out of the oven, they were just so buttery I couldn’t stop tasting them! I will definitely make these again.
Marlys @Thisand That says
I love, love, love apricot in any baking… Thanks for sharing these on Foodie Friends Friday and I will be making these soon. Pinning them.