These jam bars are so good! My son calls them Pop-Tarts on steroids…lol. They’re filled with yummy fruit jam and have a crumbly topping made with brown sugar, butter, and oats. They’re perfect for a quick breakfast or snack.

PrepTime: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 32 small 16 medium 12 large

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust:

1 1/2 Sticks of butter or 12 T. of butter, softened

2/3 C. Bown sugar, firmly packed

1 tsp. Almond extract

2, 2/3 C. All purpose flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

2 C. Jam or fruit preserves

Crumb Topping:

1 C. Brown sugar

3/4 C. Old fashioned oats

1 1/2 C. All-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Ground cinnamon

3/4 C. Butter (1-1/2 sticks), melted

Pinch of salt

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Lightly spray a 9×13 pan, then line with parchment paper, leaving a couple of inches of overhang. Lightly grease the parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly blend the butter, brown sugar and almond extract until they achieve a creamy consistency. Incorporate the flour and salt, into the mixture, ensuring it is well combined. Transfer this crumbly mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing it uniformly across the base. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, in a medium-size bowl, toss together the topping ingredients: brown sugar, oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and melted butter. Stir until well combined, then set aside.

Remove the crust from the oven after the 15 minutes and spread jam over the hot crust. Evenly sprinkle the crumble topping over the preserves. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the crumble topping is light golden brown. Allow the dish to cool completely in the baking pan at room temperature, then slice into bars and serve.