Ingredients
Scale
For the Oatmeal Crumble (Base and Topping):
- 1 ½ cups (180g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ cups (135g) Rolled Oats (Old-Fashioned Oats, not instant)
- ¾ cup (150g) Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup (165g) Light Brown Sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup (226g or 2 sticks) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small cubes
For the Strawberry Filling:
- 4 cups (about 600g or 1.5 lbs) Fresh Strawberries, hulled and sliced or diced
- ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar (adjust to strawberry sweetness)
- ¼ cup (30g) Cornstarch (or ⅓ cup all-purpose flour)
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease and line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to easily lift the bars out later. This step is crucial for easy removal and cleanup.
- Make the Oatmeal Crumble Mixture:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, rolled oats, granulated sugar, packed light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and salt. Ensure there are no large clumps of brown sugar.
- Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry blender, your fingertips, or a food processor on a pulse setting, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. This texture is key to a good crumble. Set aside.
- Prepare the Strawberry Filling:
- In a separate medium bowl, gently combine the sliced or diced fresh strawberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, fresh lemon juice, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
- Toss everything together until the strawberries are evenly coated with the sugar and cornstarch mixture. The cornstarch will help thicken the juices as the bars bake, preventing a soggy bottom. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes to allow the strawberries to release some of their juices.
- Assemble the Bars:
- Take about two-thirds of the oatmeal crumble mixture (approximately 4 cups) and press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared 9×13 inch baking pan. This will form the base of your bars. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or your hands to create a compact layer.
- Evenly spread the strawberry filling mixture over the pressed crumble base, reaching all the way to the edges.
- Sprinkle the remaining one-third of the oatmeal crumble mixture evenly over the top of the strawberry filling. Don’t press this layer down; a looser topping creates that lovely crumbly texture.
- Bake the Bars:
- Place the baking pan in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the strawberry filling is bubbly around the edges and the crumble topping is golden brown and slightly crisp. If the topping starts to brown too quickly, you can loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.
- Cool Completely: This is a very important step! Once baked, remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. This will take at least 2-3 hours at room temperature, or you can speed it up slightly in the refrigerator after an initial hour of cooling. The bars need to cool fully to set properly; otherwise, they will be too soft and fall apart when you try to cut them. Patience here is rewarded with perfectly formed bars.
- Cut and Serve: Once completely cooled, use the parchment paper overhangs to carefully lift the entire block of bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares or rectangles of your desired size (e.g., 16 bars from a 9×13 pan).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One Normal Portion
- Calories: 300-350