bars for breakfast

Jam? Oatmeal? Today's recipe isn't a dessert, it is practically breakfast since it has both jam and oatmeal. Sean gave me the idea actually because I made this at 8pm and I caught him cutting a piece the next morning so sure why not these jam bars are a breakfast food. One of the easiest bar recipes you can make and you can use whatever jam you have on hand or whatever fruit is your favorite. I did do a lemon/powdered sugar glaze on top of these, which then maybe makes them more dessert than breakfast but dessert is great anytime right? 

These jam bars are a nice and easy recipe and aren't they the best kind? Just a few ingredients, throw them into a mixer, give it a good stir, press the crust into a pan, put a layer of jam and then sprinkle the rest of the crust bottom on it, bake then eat.

Gather together your ingredients. You need: 1/2 cup butter, room temperature, 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1 cup jam whatever fruit you like best. You don't have to but I made a lemon glaze which is the juice of half a lemon and powdered sugar was added until it was the consistency of a paste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In your mixer, cream the butter and then add the brown sugar (I didn't have any brown sugar so I substituted white sugar) until the ingredients are light and fluffy.

 Add in the flour and baking soda. 

Finally add in the oatmeal. Press a little over half of the crust mixture on a 8X8 pan. 

Spread the jam over the crust then sprinkle the remaining crust mixture on top of the jam.

 (I added chopped pecans to the top layer, after I pushed the bottom layer into the pan, I turned the mixer back on and mixed the pecans into the remaining part of the crust.) 

Bake the bars for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. I allowed the bars to cool slightly before I put the lemon glaze. I drizzled the lemon glaze with a spoon over the bars. 

Then cut, eat and enjoy!