Jammy Oatmeal Crumb Bars

I must apologize if you are getting tired of seeing this little bird plate. I found this wonderful artist on Etsy a while back and received a few of her pieces for Christmas, and I can't stop using them!

Anyway, on to the bars! I was trying to figure out a kid-friendly - meaning sugar-free in my house - cookie to make this morning, when I thought I should make some kind of crumb bar. I love crumb bars. Crumb anything, really. I didn't want to search for a recipe, so I figured I'd wing it. I really hit the nail on the head! These bars are wonderful!

They are relatively healthy, containing as much oats as flour, they use sugar-free (fruit only) jam, and are sweetened with palm sugar. They were enormously popular with both of my kids, as well as a friend of mine and her daughter who sampled them. I baked an 8x8 pan of them this morning, and only 4 little squares remain, if that gives you an idea of how yummy they are.

These bars are very sturdy though soft, they are dense and chewy and have a little crunch from the topping. Oh, and they take about 2 1/2 minutes to throw together.

Jammy Oatmeal Crumb Bars

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup palm sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup unbleached white flour (or any other flour, really)

1 cup whole oats (please don't use quick oats...)

1 9oz jar fruit spread such as this (I used the sour cherry flavor from the same company, highly recommend!)

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Cream butter with palm sugar and salt. Add flour and mix until just combined. Stir in oats. It is okay if the mixture is crumbly. Press about 2/3 of mixture into prepared pan, firmly and evenly. Place jam in small saucepan and cook over lowest heat until it becomes pourable. Pour jam over dough layer in pan. Sprinkle remaining dough over jam. Bake for about 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes, then lift out by edges of parchment and cool completely on rack before cutting.