Triple Berry Oatmeal Bars

It’s been so long since I’ve had a sweet dessert.

Scratch that. It’s been just a few days.

But it feels like forever.

I’ve never been a person with a sweet tooth. When it comes to breakfast, I choose savory over sweet things like pancakes, waffles, and French toast every time. Desserts are great, but I tend to lean toward ones that aren’t super sweet. I like tiramisu, cobblers, and pie. Cake and cookies are still a must-have, but I eat those few and far between.

I decided I needed to make a dessert last weekend, and I came up with this one. Berries are in season and the smell floats through the produce aisle beckoning me to buy them. I gave in and bought a ton of blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. They taste so good this time of year.

I found a recipe for some blueberry oatmeal bars, and turned it into a triple berry one because of all the berries I had in my fridge. I also watched Rob eat ALL of the leftover raspberries in one sitting. It was quite comical.

These bars do have quite a bit of sugar in them, but it didn’t end up being tooth-achingly sweet. These babies are best fresh out of the oven and warm, but in order to cut them into half-way decent bars, you’ll need to let them come to room temperature…or else you’ll have a big ol’ mess on your hands.

Feel free to use whatever combination of berries you have. Blackberries would be good, but I’m not a huge fan. I have an aversion to seedy fruit—I know strawberries and raspberries have a bunch of seeds, but they’re not the annoying type like you find in blackberries.

These bad boys are perfect for a summertime snack or dessert. Oh, you haven’t heard? Oklahoma skipped right over spring and went straight into summer. We’re lingering in the 80’s and 90’s right now. Ugh. Anyway, you should make these bars when you have some spare baking time. They’re delish!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8″ square pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with oats, flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Mixture will be dry and sandy with well-formed crumble pieces.

In another bowl, stir together strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch.

Set aside 1 cup of oat mixture. Using the rest of the oat mixture in to bowl, pour it into prepared pan and using hands, press into bottom to make a crust.

Pour berry mixture on top.

Sprinkle reserved cup of oat mixture on top of that. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until pale golden brown and edges are set. Let cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before serving. Remove foil from pan and cut into bars.