Blackberry Breakfast Bars

These blackberry breakfast bars are hearty, buttery, crumbly, and oh so good.

Confession- I’ve never made “dessert bars” before, although this is an incredibly popular food blogging item.  I guess it’s like a square cookie with some variety of topping or filling?  (Question- Do real people make these, or is it just fodder for internet foodporn?)Confession 2.0- I’m addicted to the breakfast bars at Gordy’s Bakery in Encinitas, CA and want to eat them all day everyday.  (Sometimes I do…) So as per usual, my gluttonous behavior has lead to another “recipe recreate” situation.  Because why not fuel a food addiction from the comfort of your own kitchen?While these do not quite approach Gordy’s level (I can’t quit you Gordy’s!), I am happy to say that my first dessert/breakfast bar attempt was a success!  The rich and crumbly oatmeal crumb is a perfect match to the tart blackberry filling.  I’d definitely recommend blackberry jam for this, although I think you could probably substitute any other favorite fruit jam.  I’d definitely recommend a TART fruit jam to make sure you balance out the sweetness of the crust.  This is definitely a recipe that could go either way as a breakfast item or dessert item.  Think of them as a wayyyyy better version of a nutrigrain bar if eating them for breakfast, or maybe a jazzed up oatmeal cookie if eating it for dessert. Buttery oatmeal/blackberry breakfast bars is now my preferred way to eat whole grains, I don’t know about you… 😉Have an awesome weekend all!

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Adapted from A Cookbook Obsession

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
• 1 ½ sticks salted butter cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup blackberry preserves softened for about 45 seconds in the microwave (Recommend Dickinson's Brand)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment and grease the parchment lightly.
• In a large bowl combine oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Toss in butter cubes. Using your hands, knead and mix thoroughly until no butter pieces remain and all dry ingredients are moistened with the butter. (You should be able to form dough into a ball or disc).
• Pour half the mixture into the bottom of your 8x8 pan. Press to create the bottom layer.
• Now pour the blackberry preserves over your bottom layer. Spread over the crust, gently, to create an even layer.
• Next, pour remaining dough mixture over the preserves. Press down with your hands to create a top crust.
• Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, or until bars appear golden-brown.