Strawberry Crumb Bars

If I’m good for one thing, it’s finding a way to justify sinful foods. Ice cream? Calcium. Oatmeal cookie? Fiber! And raisins. It’s practically breakfast. Cake? Duh. It’s cake. Enough said.

I’m great at taking a healthy food concept and turning it upside down into a kick ass butt dessert. For instance, this jar of preserves I was given at work a few weeks ago (My company has this awesome program where each month they partner with a local farm/store and provide every employee with a locally grown food item. It’s awesome. Especially when my co-workers give me their shares too. Bonus!) Along with this jar came a delicious-sounding healthy recipe for something like salad dressing.

Naturally I opened the jar and dipped my finger in to taste it immediately upon arriving at home (wouldn’t you?). My husband proclaimed this awesome jar of preserves was begging to be made into the best PB&J ever. Rebecca decided it was made for toast. Me? I, of course, went strait for the dessert option.

A very small part of me felt bad for not making a healthy recipe, as is the intention of giving us local foods. Then I got over it and ate a 2nd bar.

One Year AgoMushroom Risotto

Two Years AgoSesame Chicken

Strawberry Crumb Bars
printable recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (or almonds or walnuts)
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 12 pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup strawberry preserves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×9 glass pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper to hang over the edges slightly. Lightly spray the parchment with spray oil.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine the flour, oats, sugars, baking soda, salt and nuts.

With the mixer on low speed, add the butter and vanilla and beat until well-combined. The mixture should look a bit like wet sand.

Press two-thirds of the batter into the prepared pan. Make sure it spreads evenly to the edges and corners of the pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until just golden. Remove from the oven and spread the preserves evenly over the top of the crust.

Sprinkle the remaining dough on top of the preserves and bake, rotating the pan 180* half-way through the baking time, for an additional 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool completely on a wire rack. To remove from the pan pull up gently on the parchment paper flaps. Slice into squares.

Source: Slightly adapted from Baking Illustrated