Monday 22 February 2010

Strawberry and Oatmeal Squares

The Great Book of Chocolate

Last couple of weeks all I have been thinking about was baking; baking something that would last quite a long while and something that shouldn’t be eaten to prevent it from getting spoiled. So, I thought of baking some cookies. It will gratify my baking temptation and will last quite long as well. So I Started googling and googling, stumbled upon many scrumptious cookies, but when it come to the ingredients, I would be missing one of a few ingredients. So I approached my all time favourite cooking guide, www.joyofbaking.com for help. I went through the cookies and shortbreads and finally was all set to bake these Bars. Well, again I didn’t have all the ingredients mentioned in the recipe, so I have to adjust myself with the available ingredients. The recipe I followed was that of Raspberry Oatmeal Bars. I didn’t have raspberry Jam, so I ended up using strawberry jam.


I guess the change in the ingredients must have not made a big deal in here. Whatever it is, the result was an awesome cookie full of richness on its own. The Strawberry Oatmeal Bar had three layers- a rich buttery bottom layer layered with sweet strawberry jam and then a crumbled oatmeal crust. The bottom layer was slightly chewy and the crust was crispy. It very well complimented with the sweet Strawberry Jam. But one thing what I would like to put in notice is the sugar level in the bars. May be my strawberry jam was a bit too sweet, the bars were slightly on the sweeter side. So, You may reduce the sugar level slightly if need be, but if you are using tangy jams or preserves like raspberry or blueberry you may use the full amount of sugar as mentioned in the recipe. It’s all up to you, how sweet you like your bars to be.

Strawberry and Oatmeal Squares
Recipe adapted from: www.Joyofbaking.com

Ingredients:

Oatmeal Base:
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup plain granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (Maida)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats, divided
Filling:
1 cup Strawberry jam or preserves (homemade or store bought)

Preparation:1.Preheat oven to 175 degrees C and place rack in center of oven. Butter (or use a non stick cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan. Set aside.

For the Oatmeal Base:
1. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes).

2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix using a wooden or steel spoon until well combined.

4. Stir in 1 3/4 cup of the rolled oats. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.

5. Spread the strawberry jam (preserves) over the oatmeal base.The jam will be just enough to form a thin coating over the base.

6. To the remaining dough add the remaining 1/4 cup of rolled oats.

7. Crumble this mixture evenly over the top of the strawberry jam. Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until nicely browned. Let it cool completely and then cut into squares. Makes about 16 - 2 inch squares.

These are best if made the day before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes:
1. Make sure you cut the bars once they are well cooled, else it will be difficult to cut them since jam will be too soft and wobbly and you wont get perfect squares. Let the jam cool and set, bofore slicing.
2. Since I dint not have a 9 x 9 Pan, I used a 9 x 12 glass pyrex dish,but filled accordingly almost 3/4 of the pan.

26 comments:

Manju said...

looks great! love the topping!

Fathima said...

This looks yummy! With the difference in texture of the differnt layers, I am sure it would have tasted great!

Sushma Mallya said...

come out so perfect shabs,really lovely and so delicious too

Nithya said...

Wow.. this is a perfect choice to store and eat.. looks yummm :) and healthy too.

Priya Suresh said...

Beautiful and tempting squares...looks too delicious..

Parita said...

Hey your new blog layout looks fab! Those squares look yummy!

Tina said...

Yummy yummy...Kothivarunnundu kutty...

Pina Colada said...

Going the healthy way with rolled oats? Recipe sounds yummy..

Latha said...

They look so perfect and yummm...wish I could grab them :).

BeenaShylesh said...

wow grt presentation...vist my blog ..http://mykitchen-been.blogspot.com/

Rachana said...

A lovely combination! Looks yummm!

Vrinda said...

Yummy and healthy bars....Regarding .com,nothing as such,it feels good to hav our own domain than blogspot.,and easy to type also...moreover v were looking for names that start with recipe...and i heard that for long term its nice to hav .com,dont know the real 'funda'...liked ur new layout,v r also trying to make ours as wordpress layout witout moving to wordpress,lets c...

Swathi said...

Shab,

Oatmeal strawberry squares looks really good. It is energy packed too

Namitha said...

Sorry Shabs...I missed a couple of your posts..How have you been ? Another wonderful treat from you..I love this..

Dori said...

Yum, I would love this!

Anonymous said...

Hello Shab's,

i'm a frequent visitor to your blog. i enjoy reading and trying out your recipes.
However, in the last few posts i ahve noticed that the quality of pictures is notup to the mark compared to your earlier ones. ( just my opinion).

keep up the good work. Expecting more malabar dishes from your side!
Thanks
Lubna

Aparna said...

Wonderful shabs...interesting!!!!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Healthy, fulfilling and comforting squares... Yummy!!!

http://memoryarchieved.blogspot.com

Shabs.. said...

Thanks to all of u and dropping in ur valuable comments.

Reflections said...

This one looks different from the usual...and sounds not so difficult, will give it a try:-).

Khadija El Mary said...

Great blog, those squares look delicious, I love the topping!
I will translate the recipe for you as soon as I have some time during the weekend. I will let you know once it's done.
Cheers

Zainab said...

Hi Shabs, hope u r doing well. I m a real fan of ur blog..simple & nice presentation..keep it up.. I have baked chocolate cake a while ago without using 'baking paper'. Is it necessary to use it while baking cookies? Where can I get it from??
Rgds,

Shabs.. said...

Hi zainab....thats for ur compliments dear. Regarding baking paper i always used one. It prevents cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan mainly. Doesnt do anything apart from that. I started using that cos once when i baked my cake half of the cake stuck to the pan, which was very annoying. If it baking paper, you can just peel it off. If you dont have baking paper, just rub the baking pan with soft butter and sprinkle some plain flour. That should help.

For cookies, its better to use baking paper. Else it will crumble and again stick to the pan. I never baked cookies without baking paper. If you are baking cookies for teh first time, one thing i would like to put into your notice is that the cookies will be soft as they come out of the oven even after the required amount of time. So once they get a golden colour, take them out, leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes (more for these squares), and then peel it off the baking paper and place on wire rack to cool completely. Let me know if you are baking these, they are real nice.

Regarding baking paper, if you are in UAE, you can get it from Co-op, where they keep foil,freezer bags and stuffs like that:)

Regards,
shabs.

Zainab said...

Hi dear, Thanx for your detailed reply which is what I like about your blog too- the recipes explained in detail with pictures make it very easy to follow step by step. Congrats for taking this effort. I have tried many of ur recipes & I will surely try this one too..Yes, I m in dubai. i will get baking paper today itself from Coop. Ur parents still in UAE?

Shabs.. said...

Thnx dear....I know i explain it in a very detailed way cos i write it for amateur cooks too. When i was a beginner, i dint know very little things that make the things go wrong if not done properly. SOmetimes it will be really a silly one.I don't want it to happen to others, so put in every single bit that comes to my mind. But for professionals, i myt be explaining too much:)

Yeah, my parents are still in UAE. Will be visiting them soon...May b e in may - june..hows the weather there now?...I am coming on a wrong time i know...the best weather in uk and the worst in UAE!

Shabs.. said...

Thnx dear....I know i explain it in a very detailed way cos i write it for amateur cooks too. When i was a beginner, i dint know very little things that make the things go wrong if not done properly. SOmetimes it will be really a silly one.I don't want it to happen to others, so put in every single bit that comes to my mind. But for professionals, i myt be explaining too much:)

Yeah, my parents are still in UAE. Will be visiting them soon...May b e in may - june..hows the weather there now?...I am coming on a wrong time i know...the best weather in uk and the worst in UAE!

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