Fortunately it has been a warm spring where I live and fresh berries have arrived in the market! (I get so excited during berry season.) I enjoy winter apples and citrus fruits, but berries steal my heart.
Although beautiful berries are present in the stores, they may not be at peak sweetness yet. A great solution is to add some jam and use them as a filling for bar cookies. A hint of balsamic vinegar can also make the flavor of berries shine.
America’s Test Kitchen has developed many vegan recipes over the years, including those for bar cookies. It’s a joy to cook them because they do extensive testing to perfect their creations. Yes, I dream of working there. But I always need to add my spin to things, so I grabbed their Raspberry Streusel Bars and included strawberries, with the added balsamic, and used butter-flavored coconut oil to make them more decadent.
Another change I made was to add more jam. I felt they short-changed the bars with a less-than-adequate amount of filling. I’ll let them know when they come knocking on my door with a job proposal.
Until next time, happy baking!
Raspberry-Strawberry Oat and Nut Bars
Equipment
- 13 x 9-inch baking pan
- small pot
- baking sheet
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh strawberries chopped
- splash of water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- dash balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup fine chopped walnuts
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup organic granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter-flavored coconut oil cold
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats NOT quick or instant
- 1/4 cup organic light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Line the pan with two pieces of parchment paper — one that covers the bottom and sides of the 13-inch length and one one that covers the bottom and sides of the 9-inch width — that overlap across the bottom. Set the pan aside.
- Prepare the filling by placing the strawberries and splash of water in a small pot. Cook over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Spread the walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and slightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pour the nuts into a bowl to cool slightly. Turn the oven up to 350F.
- Place the flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor and process until just combined.
- Cut the cold coconut oil into ½-inch pieces and scatter it over the dry ingredients. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of water over top. Pulse 20 times, or until the mixtures resembles damp sand.
- Remove 1.25 cups of the mixture and set it aside for the topping. Pour the rest of the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer by pushing down on it with the bottom of a dry glass. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the crust start to turn brown. Be sure to rotate the pan halfway through baking.
- While the crust bakes, finish the filling by adding the raspberries to the cooled strawberries and mashing them with a fork. Add both of the jams and stir until combined. At this time, finish the topping by adding the toasted walnuts, oats, and brown sugar to the reserved flour mixture and stirring to combine. Pinch the topping into clumps of assorted sizes to provide a variety of texture in the finished bars.
- Spread the filling over the hot crust and sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over everything. Bake for 24-27 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Remember to rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.