Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

 Our neighbor brought us a basket of fresh picked strawberries, and while our kids inhale strawberries, we had just picked up a bunch from the grocery store. There was no way we could eat them all.  Well, there was, but it would be ridiculous. So instead, I headed to Pinterest for ideas.

This particular recipe was so delicious that we immediately made it again, substituting the strawberries for raspberries and lemon. It was way more tart with the raspberries and lemon, but I also went hard with lemon, so it's possible to sweeten it up.  The point is, you can use most berries in some form.

It's worth noting that this does go bad relatively quickly when left at room temperature, even when well wrapped.  We didn't quite finish the last pieces of either version before they went bad... and we ate it fast. So either store it in the fridge, or bring it to share within a day or two.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
Adapted from here

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp melted butter

2 cups diced or sliced strawberries

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp lemon juice (preferably fresh)

1 tbsp sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375* and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
2. Stir together oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt.
3. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until it forms clumps. 
4. Set aside about 1/2 to 2/3 cup to use as the topping. Press the rest onto the bottom of your lined 8x8 baking dish.
5. Spread half the strawberries (or other berries) over the bottom crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the strawberries, then the lemon juice, then half of the sugar. Spread the rest of the strawberries and sprinkle the rest of the sugar over them.
6. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over the top in clumps. You will have fruit showing through.
7. Bake the bars for 35-40 minutes. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove the bars from the baking dish and cool completely on a wire rack before cutting.