Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
(Vegan & Nut-Free)
These raspberry oatmeal bars are the absolute best kind of treats! They’re simple and easy – a celebration of lazy, last-minute dinners with family and friends. They’re just a simple sticky, gooey oatmeal bar stuffed with beautiful, juicy raspberry jam and topped with plenty of crumble.
Throw them in before you start cooking dinner, let them cool and set while you eat, and you’ll be so happy you did when you start craving a little after dinner sweet. It’s a big batch so they’re perfect for company or for prepping ahead and freezing for when you need a tasty treat 🙂
So, what makes these Raspberry Oatmeal Bars work?
- Oats – Oats provide a chewy, satisfying texture that just cannot be beat!
- Whole wheat flour – I prefer to use whole wheat rye flour. You can’t really taste the rye with everything else going on, But it does add some “complexity” to the flavor profile and makes them pretty irresistible. However, if you’d rather go with something more traditional, whole wheat spelt flour is my second favorite choice. Regular whole wheat will also work.
- All purpose flour – Since I wanted this to be the kind of recipe you can serve to anyone, I kept half the flour in these all purpose. If you want to go for an even healthier dessert though, I’m sure you could substitute the all purpose flour for more whole wheat (rye or spelt) flour. The bars may fall apart a little bit more, but they’ll still be tasty.
- Coconut oil – Coconut oil is the secret to the magical texture of these bars. Once cooled, the coconut oil causes the cookies to firm up into the most perfect chewy texture. It’ll keep you coming back for more.
- Brown sugar and Molasses – If you’re not a fan of molasses, don’t worry. The molasses flavor does not come through. But it does add a density and richness to these bars that makes them special. Molasses is also an invert sugar which help keep these bars very moist and chewy over time (you could even say these bars get better with time)
- Maple Syrup – I’ve replaced the typical white sugar an oatmeal cookie would contain with maple syrup in these bars, and the flavor is SO MUCH BETTER. The syrup also helps hold the bars together.
- Raspberry Jam – I typically use a more “tart” style of jam with no added sugars. You could also make your own jam out of chia seeds and raspberries for an even more wholesome treat.
Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with avocado or coconut oil, and set it aside.
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix.
Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry. Mix.
Pour half the oatmeal cookie mixture into the greased dish, and use a spatula or your hands to press the dough firmly and evenly into the pan (be sure to get all the corners). Then spread the jam over the cookie dough in an even layer. Finally, crumble the last half of the dough over the jam layer as evenly as possible.
Bake for 18-25 minutes. The cookie bars should be just barely browning around the edge of the dish. Allow the cookies to cool and set completely (ideally, several hours) before slicing and serving. This allows the coconut oil to firm up, and keeps the cookies from falling apart (although they will still be nice and chewy and gooey from the jam).
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Servings 20
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 152
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 9g14%
- Saturated Fat 7g35%
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Potassium 22mg1%
- Total Carbohydrate 16g6%
- Dietary Fiber 1g4%
- Sugars 9g
- Protein 1g2%
- Calcium 9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Ingredients
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with avocado or coconut oil, and set it aside.
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Mix.
Add all the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry. Mix.
Pour half the oatmeal cookie mixture into the greased dish, and use a spatula or your hands to press the dough firmly and evenly into the pan (be sure to get all the corners). Then spread the jam over the cookie dough in an even layer. Finally, crumble the last half of the dough over the jam layer as evenly as possible.
Bake for 18-25 minutes. The cookie bars should be just barely browning around the edge of the dish. Allow the cookies to cool and set completely (ideally, several hours) before slicing and serving. This allows the coconut oil to firm up, and keeps the cookies from falling apart (although they will still be nice and chewy and gooey from the jam).
