Somehow, we ended up with a ton of jam and jelly after the holidays this last year. We received them as gifts and giveaways, in a variety of delicious sounding flavors. We were lucky they were made from farms, either locally or using fresh ingredients. Any they have all been delicious so far, BUT with so many, it would take forever to eat enough toast to use them up.
Instead, I decided to use them in one of my favorite activities – baking 😉
I remembered a really delicious oatmeal bar we used to have around the house when I was growing up, which made me start a little search around Google. Most are made with butter, brown sugar, white flour, and store-bought jelly, chock full of high fructose corn syrup. With a few less than desirable ingredients, I decided to play around, make a few switches and ended up with a delicious Oatmeal Jam Square.
Swaps I Made:
Butter—-> Coconut Oil for healthier saturated fats and absolutely no added ingredients
White Flour ——> Gluten Free flour to ease digestive issues and inflammation
Jelly ——> Locally made jam with no high fructose corn syrup
Brown Sugar ——-> Coconut Sugar which is low glycemic and won’t spike blood sugar
- 1 cup jam
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup gluten free flour
- 1 cup oats
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a medium, rectangular oven safe dish.
- In a large bowl, cream together coconut oil and sugar.
- Add vanilla to the mixture.
- Stir in flour. If too dry, add a bit more oil.
- Stir in oats.
- Spread slightly more than half of oat mix into your pan. Press until it reaches the sides of pan.
- Spread jam over the top, almost to the edges.
- Crumble the remaining oat mixture over top of the jam.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve. If needed, place in your refrigerator to firm up.
These are great for a snack, dessert or a breakfast on the go (once in awhile).
What is the hardest thing to swap when you bake? What baked goods do you love to make when you have some ingredients to use up around the kitchen? Leave a comment below!
Peace and Love,
Jessi
PS I have a big announcement coming up in the next blog post – this Thursday! Be sure to check back, subscribe to the newsletter, or enter your email on the right side of this post to “follow” and receive an update straight to your inbox. I am so excited to share the news with you – can’t wait until Thursday!!
