Berry Jam Crumble Bar Cookies
The first time I made berry jam crumble bar cookies was for a winery tour of Virginia that was a gift for my mother. Since she’s not a huge chocolate fan (yes, please read my last post re: her world-famous chocolate cake … go figure … I digress) and needed my dessert to be portable (read sturdy), I went hunting for a bar cookie recipe. This is an amalgamation of several I came across so apologies for not sharing the lineage. I proudly dub this’n a mutt cookie. And we all know mutts are the best…. no pomp or pretense… just good stuff.
Before I get to the recipe deets, just a quick note to say that these bar cookies are adaptable to any jam. If you aren’t into berries, apricot will do just fine. Stay away from commercial jellies though; they’re too runny when baked. And as I type, I am thinking that a trial with Nutella may be pure genius. If you get to that before I do, PLEASE post a note in the comments section.
Onward and upward!
Gather your ingredients. Make sure the butter is room temperature. If you are a skilled microwave softener, feel free. I always get a melty spot which translates into a greasy cookie. You have been warned. Make sure you are using old fashioned oats, not quick cooking. Honestly, I’ve got no idea if the quick-cooking would make a huge difference but having never used them, I’m not steering you astray. Also, the jam has to be a good brand. I use Bonne Maman. Anything too sugary or artificially flavored will dilute the fruit flavor. If you’ve got homemade, by all means … and then please share a jar with me. Please and thank you.
These really are no-fail bar cookies. Please don’t try to prove me wrong; you’ll just look silly. Put the ingredients into the mixer, turn it to low, and let it go for 2 minutes. If you’ve put the dry ingredients in first, you shouldn’t even need to scrap the bowl. The crumbs should be loose but able to hold together when squeezed.
A parchment “sling” is one piece that is the width of the pan crossed underneath by one that is merely there to pick up the bars. If you’ve got the sling, you don’t need to butter the pan. This also makes removal infinitely easier. Put about two-thirds of the crumbs into the pan and press evenly, making sure to get into the corners as well. Give a bit of a lip all around to contain the cooking jam which, given the opportunity, will travel.
Spread the jam over the pressed crumbs, staying away from the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs evenly over the jam and very (very!) gently pat them evenly around the pan. A heavy hand will cause to jam squish out which will burn and then will stick to the pan and then will require you eat the whole mess right out of the pan and not be able to share. [wink, wink]
The hardest part is waiting to cut into the cookies. If you need incentive to wait, jam burns are wickedly painful and long-lasting. Again, you have been warned (said in my most dire Vincent Price voice). Once cooled, gently grab all four tabs of the sling and pull straight up out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into sizes that suit you and enjoy. These are great make-ahead cookies. Just bake, cut when cool, and store in an air-tight container or put back into the pan covered with plastic wrap.
Oh, and these berry jam crumble bar cookies are really delicious with ice cream. Then again, what isn’t.
If you do grace your oven with this creation, please drop me a comment below and/or on Instagram @piecrustandpasta and #piecrustandpasta. Much appreciated!
BERRY JAM CRUMBLE BAR COOKIE
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks total), room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup Old Fashioned rolled oats not instant or quick-cook
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or ¼ tsp table salt
- 1 egg
- 13 oz jar berry jam I use Bonne Maman
- 1/2 cup of chopped/slivered nuts added to the crumb mixture would never be a bad thing OPTIONAL
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment criss-crossed to act as a sling. If you don’t have parchment, liberally butter the pan.
- Into the bowl of a mixer, add all of the ingredients EXCEPT THE JAM, starting with the dry. Using the paddle attachment, mix at low speed until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This generally takes me 2 minutes on speed 2 of my KitchenAid mixer.
- Press about two-thirds of the crumbs into the lined baking pan, pushing a tiny lip around the edges to prevent jam escape.
- Spoon the jam into the middle of the pressed crumbs and spread to about ½ inch from the raised edges. Sprinkle the remaining third of the crumbs over the jam, very lightly patting to even it out. Don’t press hard or the jam will squish out.
- Bake until lightly browned. It takes my oven 50 minutes but start checking at about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, cut into 9 to 16 bars.