These strawberry oatmeal bars have an even layer of fresh strawberries that sits in between a buttery oatmeal crust and crumble topping. Serve these with breakfast or as sweet treats for dessert!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little to hang over the sides, serving as a "handle." Then grease with non-stick spray.
Oatmeal Crust/Topping
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the oats, flour, melted butter, brown sugar, honey, beaten egg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt until well combined.
Reserve a ½ cup of the oat mixture for the crumble topping and press the rest of the oat mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan, pressing it down with your fingers until even.
Strawberry Filling
In a small bowl, toss together the strawberries, flour, sugar, and lemon juice until combined. Pour on top of the oat crust and spread out until even.
Evenly sprinkle the ½ cup of oat crumbles over the top of the strawberry filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or just until the top begins to brown. Cool for 15 minutes on the counter before placing it into the refrigerator. Allow the bars to completely cool before slicing into bars.
Keep any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refirgerator for up to 5 days.
Notes:
Baking Pan: Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a "handle." This makes it extremely easy to remove the bars from the pan once they're cooled. Then grease with cooking spray.Crust/Topping: Both the bottom crust and crumble topping are made from the same mixture. Be sure to reserve ½ cup for topping the strawberries before baking.Chilling: Once the bars are removed from the oven allow them to cool for 15 minutes before placing them into the refrigerator. I recommend they chill for 1 hour before slicing into bars.