Jam Bars

Jam bars are not usually my jam. These are an exception. They’re from the Tartine All Day book, which I still really love. They are gluten free if you use the right oats and wholesome and super easy to throw together. In the past when I have made jam bar recipes I eat one and then never really want another. They wither so quickly, the jam seeping into the dough and turning it all wet and sweet. Not these! I ate all of these. They keep pretty well in the fridge (or at room temp), but you could also freeze them individually and they’ll thaw fast. Kind of nice to have in case of emergency. The tricks here are the confident amount of salt and the wise addition of lemon juice (and salt) to the store bought jam. The almond butter lends a nice richness to the whole thing. They’re great.

Jam Bars (from Tartine All Day by Elisabeth Prueitt)

  • 1/2 cup/110g unsalted butter or coconut oil (vegan!), at room temperature
    1/3 cup/85g smooth almond butter
    2 Tbsp brown rice syrup or maple syrup
    1 1/2 cups/150g rolled oats
    1 cup/120g almond flour
    1 cup/120g oat flour
    6 Tbsp/90g granulated sugar
    1 tsp baking powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond)
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    1/2 tsp almond extract
    1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp/340g jam (I used Bonne Maman Raspberry)
    1 tsp lemon juice
    Pinch of sea salt
  • sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a 9 by 13-inch/23 by 33cm baking pan with parchment paper. Combine the butter or coconut oil, almond butter, and brown rice syrup or maple syrup in a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, mix well.

Add the rolled oats, almond flour, oat flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, and cinnamon to the butter mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Divide the dough into thirds. Press two-thirds of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and reserve the remaining one-third for the topping.

Stir together the jam, lemon juice, and salt and then spread the mixture evenly over the bottom crust.

Crumble the remaining one-third dough over the jam filling. Optional: I scattered some sliced almond on top.

Bake the jam bars until golden brown around the edges, about 35 minutes (push it a little bit, you don’t want them pale). Let the pastry cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars.

The jam bars will keep, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to 4 days (or in the fridge, which is kind of nice too).

7 comments to “Jam Bars”

  1. These look great for quick breakfasts or snacks.

    One query – do you think it would still work if I swapped out the oat flour for more almond? I don’t normally keep oat flour at home, and as delicious as these look, I’m not sure I’d be inclined to seek it out.

  2. Hi Kel! I have a feeling the dough would be too crumbly. Do you have a food processor? Because oat flour is just ground oats and you could just make it yourself from rolled oats. It would be a better sub. if possible.

  3. It looks absolutely delicious and I’d love to try it if there are a few of the ingredients in it that can be altered any! So I was wondering if you can sub the almond ingredients for another. Because I am highly allergic to almonds!

  4. Hi Alexa- Unfortunately those are the two main ingredients (and the reasons I like the bars), so I can’t advise you to substitute. There are lots of jam bar recipes out there that don’t have almonds as ingredients, so maybe start with one of those? Good luck!

  5. I dislike jam bars for the same reasons you do, so I will give these a try! Thanks!

  6. Oh! I can do that. I thought it was something I’d have to actually purchase. I can absolutely blitz some rolled oats. Thank you!

  7. Well, I just went through the 49 pages of your blog. Needless to say, I love it! Best feeling ever when you find a new blog and see it has a lot of archives to go through :p Pinned a few recipes to try!! Thanks!

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