Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

ingredients

• For the Crust & Crumble
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1½ cups white whole wheat flour
• 1½ cups regular oats (not the instant kind)
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• pinch of salt

For the Strawberry Filling

• 3 cups of sliced fresh strawberries
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white whole wheat flour

method

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line the bottom of an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray for easy removal.

To make the crust & crumble, to a large bowl add melted butter, white whole wheat flour, regular oats, honey, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and salt. Mix until just combined, mixture should be a little crumbly. Scoop out 1 cup of the mixture and set aside, that will be your crumble.

Add the remaining mixture to the prepared pan. Spread the mixture out and using your fingers press into the bottom of the pan so the crust is in an even layer.

To make the Strawberry Filling: to a small bowl add strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and white whole wheat flour. Toss to combine.

Add the strawberry mixture on top of the crust and spread out evenly.

Evenly sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top of the bars.

Bake the bars for 50 minutes. Remove the bars from the pan and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.

notes

To Store: Transfer cooled bars to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Feel free to pop each bar into the microwave for 10-15 seconds before chowing down if desired.

To Freeze: Transfer cooled bars to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. If bars are cut and must be stacked in the container, add a piece of parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Thaw out frozen bars in the fridge before enjoying.