Triple Berry Jam Bars

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Triple-Berry-Jam-Bars-Mountain-Mama-Cooks

Yesterday it rained and boy did we need it. After weeks of record breaking heat and high winds, Mother Nature gave in to our pleas and the rain came pouring down. With 10 active wildfires burning in Utah, I can’t imagine there is anyone that didn’t welcome the overcast day and cooler weather yesterday. I just hope the storm pushes through to Colorado and gives them some much needed relief as well.

park-city-utah-it's-raining!!!!

It was the perfect excuse to spend the day indoors watching tennis, catching up with my cousin who’s in town and being kind of lazy. I don’t think my 5 year old ever changed out of his pajamas and aside from a trip to the grocery store and physical therapy in the afternoon, I spent most of my day in the kitchen. It was a welcome event as I’ve been avoiding turning my oven the past few weeks due to the heat.

Oatmeal Triple Berry Jam & Oatmeal Bars, Mountain Mama Cooks

I know jam bars are kind of old fashioned but I love them all the same. I suppose it’s the simplicity of them. These are the perfect example of using quality ingredients. With only a few ingredients, using a quality product results is something spectacular.

Instead of the traditional raspberry bar, I mixed three kinds. I had two almost empty jars of homemade strawberry and blackberry jams that were in the fridge and to round it out, I used some wild blueberry jam from my favorite store bought jam company, Bonne Mamam. I always have it on hand. If you haven’t tried it, you must. So darn good.

Mountain Mama Cooks Triple Berry Jam Bars

I don’t get many lazy days. There is always something that needs to be done. Days like yesterday don’t happen very often and when they do, I like to take full advantage. One of my simple pleasures in life is a hot cup of tea and a sweet treat from the oven. The sun came out late afternoon yesterday and it was the perfect ending to a near perfect day.

If you like this recipe, you might enjoy:
Blueberry Jam Bars, from Bake or Break
Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars, from Buff Chickpea
Cherry Oat Bars, from Everyone Likes Sandwiches
Chocolate-Raspberry Almond Bars, from Mountain Mama Cooks

Triple Berry Jam Bars

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into 12 pieces
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam
  • 1/2 cup blackberry jam
  • 1/2 cup blueberry jam

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Mix the three jams together in small bowl; set aside. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper or tin foil. In the base of a food processor, pulse together both flours, oats, both sugars, baking soda, salt and nuts. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer two thirds of the oat mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan using your hands and fingers to push the crumbs evenly into the bottom. Spread the jam mixture evenly over the oat mixture using either a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the jam. Bake until the jam is bubbly around the edges and the top is light golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut into 12 squares.

recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated, The New Best Recipe