Easy Amish Oatmeal Jelly Bars Recipe Is Blue Ribbon Delicious by Donna John

Downsizing my cookbooks means I now have a drawer of recipes I've printed from the pages of the cookbooks now at the budget book store. Craving something sweet this weekend and needing some baking therapy, I turned an Amish grape jelly bar recipe into this delicious oatmeal jelly bar recipe that was truly the best thing I've baked in a while. The fruity dessert bars were a hit with the family.

This one-bowl jelly cookie bars recipe has quick and easy prep and bakes up in about 30 minutes. The bars do need time after baking to cool before being cut into squares. Here is your short and sweet shopping list for this Amish recipe: quick rolled oats, flour (all-purpose or gluten-free flour), baking powder, cooking oil, an egg, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and jelly. I didn't have 2 cups of one type of jelly, so I used half peach jelly and half fig preserves to create to different fruit bars. Both were fantastic!

Use whatever type of jelly you like for this recipe. Go traditional with grape or strawberry jelly, or get more creative with apricot, peach, fig, raspberry, blueberry (try this bourbon blueberry jam recipe) blackberry or even orange marmalade if that's your spread of choice.

I struggled with not putting some peanut butter into the batter. Using jelly, who wouldn't? But I decided not to this time (this time). When I enjoy one tonight I am going to melt a little peanut butter in the microwave and drizzle it over my bar. If your a peanut butter and jelly fan, this may take these oatmeal jelly bars over the top.

Serve the oatmeal bars for dessert after dinner with a cup of coffee, as an energizing snack or as a sweet breakfast. I packed the bars in airtight containers and delivered them to my family. The texts started flowing in that evening asking what they were. The word "amazing" and "wow" were used quite a bit, so I take that as a baking success – and a quick and easy recipe that will be put into the family recipe binder.

Cuisine: American / Amish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 18 

Ingredients

• 2 cups quick rolled oats
• 2 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose or gluten-free 1:1 flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup vegetable oil or canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups jelly or fruit preserves

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put all the ingredients except the jelly into a mixing bowl. (For gluten-free bars, use gluten-free flour and make sure your oats are gluten-free.)
   
2. Stir well to combine.
   
3. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking pan.
   
4. Spread the jelly over the top. (I didn't have 2 cups of one kind of jelly, so I put peach jelly on one side and fig preserves on the other side. Use whatever kind of jelly you like.)
   
5. Sprinkle the remaining batter as crumbs over the top.
   
6. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 30 minutes.
   
7. Remove and let cool before cutting into bars.
   
8. Store the bars in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
   

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