We were given a cute basket of items at Christmas that included a jar of Cherries Jubilee Jam. They sounded so fancy that just slathering it on toast seemed far too mundane. Off to the internet I went to look for recipes that included cherries jubilee jam. No matter how I worded the search, the words “cherries jubilee” only yielded ways to make it. It sounds really good to make but that’s not what I was searching for. I tried again, this time leaving out “jubilee” and viola! A useful list finally appeared! Sometimes I am so smart and dumb at the same time.
Anyhow, I landed on a recipe from the Smucker’s website that sounded promising. And easy. And really good. One other awesome thing about this recipe is that I had everything in my pantry. Well, not everything. I had old fashioned oats, not the quick cooking kind. Not to fear, I have a trick for that.
You’ll be surprised by how easy these are to make and how freakin’ delicious they are! As I made them I had visions of taking them on hikes with us or packing some into Mark’s backpack before taking him to the airport. These things disappeared so fast I would have had to make 100 of them!
The only thing I’d change for next time is to not pack the brown sugar so tight, they were a little on the sweet side. So, if you like your granola bars sweet, leave it at firmly packed. If you want to dial back the sweet a bit, drop it to just packed. If you use a cooking scale to measure instead of how hard you pack brown sugar, aim for between 185-200 grams.
Ready to make out of this world granola bars?
Stir flour, oats and baking powder in a bowl, set aside.
Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, mixing on low until combined.
Add flour mixture and mix on low until well combined. Measure out 1/2 cup for topping. Press crumb mixture into prepared pan.
Spread preserves evenly over the crumb mixture. Our gift jar was a little more than 2/3 cup, maybe two tablespoons more. Sprinkle reserved mixture on top.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting. Cut into bars or squares. Store tightly covered.
Jammin’ Granola Bars
Recipe adapted from Smucker’s
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed brown sugar (185-200 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats (see note below)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2/3 cup cherry preserves (or any flavor)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or no-stick cooking spray.
- Stir flour, oats and baking powder in a medium bowl, set aside.
- Cream butter and brown sugar in medium bowl with mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Blend in vanilla extract.
- Add flour mixture and mix on low until well combined. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan to form a crust. Spread preserves over crust evenly. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 16 bars.
Quick Cooking Oats Note: If you only have old fashioned oats like me. Have no fear, you can use a food processor to “process” your oats just a little which will make them cook faster. Pulse in a food processor a few times. Stir and pulse a few more times.