Strawberry Guava Oatmeal Bars

I dont know you about, but I am ready for summertime!  I know it’s only May, but I am looking forward to grilling every night, catching fireflies (and letting them go) with my girls, and wearing white sandals.  You’re with me, right?  It’s been especially hard this year to wait for summer to arrive since we’ve been in ultra-gardening mode at our house.  I’m done being patient.  I want fresh strawberries in my yard RIGHT NOW!

Since that can’t happen just yet, I did the next best thing: I made strawberry bars.  Strawberry Guava Oatmeal Bars, to be exact.  I added guava because I wanted something to add another flavor dimension to the oatmeal bars, and guava jam did just the trick.  Something pretty delicious happens when you combine strawberries and guava jam…it just works.  Oats and brown sugar add chewiness and sweetness to these bars, and the final result is a perfect combination of summertime flavors.

This isn’t your typical oatmeal bar…it’s so much better.

Strawberry Guava Oatmeal Bars

Makes 9 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and undrained
• 1 cup guava jam
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cubed
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Optional: 1 cup shredded coconut

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9×9 pan.
• To make the strawberry guava filling, combine the thawed strawberries, guava jam, honey and cornstarch in a medium saucepan.  Use an immersion blender to puree the filling.
• Cook the filling over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a boil and has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.  (You can also make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix in the butter until it resembles course crumbs.
• Stir in the oats and brown sugar (and shredded coconut, if using) until combined.
• Transfer half of the dough to the greased baking pan, and use your hands to spread it evenly on the bottom of the pan.
• Bake the crust at 350° for 15 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the oven, and pour the strawberry-guava filling on top of the crust.
• Spread the rest of the dough on top of the filling, using your hands to make sure the dough covers the filling.
• Return to the oven and bake at 350° for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the edges of the bars are golden brown and the center is set.
• Cool completely before cutting into bars, and enjoy!

Original recipe by La Casa de Sweets