With a sweet fresh strawberry pie filling and a buttery, brown sugar-sweetened, vanilla-laced crust and crumble topping, these strawberry oatmeal bars are truly something special! They’re the perfect way to use some of your berries during strawberry season, or make them year-round with frozen strawberries.
Add the strawberries, sugar, and salt to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover the pan and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it comes up to a boil, you may need to turn the heat down slightly so it doesn’t boil over.
After 7 minutes, add the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Cool to room temperature.
For the Top and Bottom Crust:
Use a hand-held electric mixer to cream together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour, oats, cornstarch, and salt, and beat just until combined.
To Assemble and Bake:
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 by 8-inch pan with 2 pieces of parchment paper so it hangs over all 4 sides.
Press about half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Spread the room temperature strawberry filling evenly onto the dough.
Crumble the remaining dough on top of the strawberry filling. Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon oats on top.
Bake until the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Store-Bought Strawberry Pie Filling Substitute: Instead of making what is essentially homemade strawberry pie filling for these strawberry crumb bars, you can use 3 cups of store-bought strawberry pie filling.
To Use Frozen Strawberries: If you want to use frozen strawberries instead of fresh, there’s no need to thaw the strawberries first. If using frozen strawberries, the only change is to cook the filling for a couple minutes longer. This is because frozen strawberries can hold more water than fresh strawberries.
Add a Touch of Cinnamon: Add up to 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the crust/crumble mixture.
Add Nuts: If you like, add up to 1 cup of your favorite type of chopped nuts to the crust. Walnuts or pecans are both delicious!
Storage: Store these bars in an airtight container for up to 3 days. After that, move them to the fridge for up to 4 days more.
Freezer-Friendly: To freeze these bars, let them cool to room temperature and then slice them. Stack the bars layered between parchment paper in an airtight container, and freeze them for up to 3 months.