Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars

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Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars have a sweet oatmeal cookie based layered with jam or fruit butter then finished off with dried cherries and apricots and a sprinkling of white chocolate chips.  This recipe originally published March 2012.

Did you know that January is National Oatmeal Month?  I didn’t until recently but I couldn’t let it go past without making a recipe with oats!  While I love baked oatmeal and make it often, you can’t go wrong with oatmeal cookies. 

I thought these sounded interesting with the oatmeal cookie base, fruit jam on top of that, dried fruit crumble on top, and white chocolate chips to finish it off.   The great thing about this recipe is that you can change things up like the type of fruit and it still tastes really great.

Ingredients:

• butter
• brown sugar
• vanilla
• flour
• oats
• baking soda
• cinnamon
• salt
• dried cherries
• dried apricots
• fruit jam or preserves
• white chocolate chips

1. To make these bars preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar. Stir in the vanilla and mix well.

3. Add in the flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt then stir until combined.

4.  Press the mixture into the prepared pan and cook for 25 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, combine the butter, flour, and brown sugar for the topping in a small mixing bowl. Work into a paste and then add in the dried fruit.

6. Pull the cookie bars out of the oven. Spread the jam or preserves over top. Drop spoonfuls of the fruit topping all over the bars. Sprinkle with white chocolate chips.

7. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until golden.

The base of the bars is a sweet oatmeal cookie spiced with cinnamon.  The cookie batter doesn’t totally come together so make sure you press it into the pan so that it bakes together and holds it’s shape.

After it is baked a layer of jam or fruit butter is spread on top of the cookie then that is topped with the chopped dried fruit and chocolate.  I wasn’t sure how I felt about this combination of ingredients but my husband and I loved it!  

I’m not a big fan of white chocolate, can I use a different type?

Yes!   I think the best substitution would actually be dark chocolate since it works really well with dried fruit.  You could also do bittersweet or even milk chocolate but think about what fruit you are pairing with it.

What types of dried fruits can I use in this recipe?

Initially I used dried apricots and cherries.  The second time I made the recipe I used craisins and dried Turkish Apricots.   I think raisins, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried apricots, dried mango, or dried figs would all work in this recipe with the chocolate.  Just choose the combination that you would enjoy best!

What can I use besides fruit butter in this recipe?

You can use any fruit jam, fruit preserve, or fruit butter.  I’ve made these three times and I’ve used pear butter, peach butter, and cherry jam.  All three were fantastic.  Just make sure the fruit flavor works with both the chocolate and the dried fruits you are using.  I think apple butter would be too overwhelming just as I think grape jelly or jam wouldn’t really work in this recipe.

Can I add nuts to these bars?

Yes!   The last time I made these bars I added in a half cup of chopped pecans to the topping and it was wonderful!  You can use walnuts, pecans, or almonds and just add it into the crumble mixture that goes on top.  The crunch is really nice!

The sweet oatmeal cookie base pairs well with the tart cherries and sweet apricots.   The white chocolate gives it a sweet, creamy finish.   This is a versatile recipe that you can really change up depending on who will be eating it and I’ll be making it again soon!

More Oatmeal Recipes:

• Cranberry Orange Baked Oatmeal
• Oatmeal Cookie Pear Bars
• Blackberry Pecan Oatmeal Bowls
• Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
• Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

If you’ve tried my Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on:

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Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars

Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars have a sweet oatmeal cookie base layered with jam or fruit butter then finished off with dried cherries and apricots and a sprinkling of white chocolate chips.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 bars

Author: Hezzi-D

Ingredients

For the cookie base:

• ½ c. brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 c. flour
• 1 c. oats
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the topping:

• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/4 c. oats
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ c. dried cherries chopped
• 1/2 c. dried apricots chopped
• ½ c. cherry jam or any fruit butter, preserve, or jam
• 1/3 c. white chocolate chips

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a medium mixing bowl cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Stir in the vanilla and mix until combined.
• In another medium mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir until combined.  
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
• Press the mixture into the prepared pan and cook for 25 minutes. 
• Meanwhile, combine the butter, flour, oats, and brown sugar for the topping in a medium mixing bowl.  Work into a paste and then add in the dried fruit.  
• Pull the cookie bars out of the oven.  Spread the cherry jam
  over top of the bars.  Drop spoonfuls of the fruit topping all over the bars. 
• Sprinkle with white chocolate chips. 
• Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden.  
• Cool completely on a wire rack and cut into 16 squares.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Culinary Cache

National Oatmeal Month Recipes:

• Apples and Cinnamon Oatmeal by Palatable Pastime
• Banana Blueberry Baked Oatmeal by Shockingly Delicious
• Blueberry Baked Oatmeal by Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
• Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Carrot Cake Oatmeal by The Spiffy Cookie
• Chocolate Oatmeal Cups by The Freshman Cook
• Hot Chocolate Oatmeal by Our Good Life
• Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe by The Fresh Cooky
• Magical Ingredients Gingerbread Oats in an Instant Pot by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Oatmeal Apricot Cherry Bars by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Old-fashioned Oatmeal Pie by Savory Moments
• Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal by Cheese Curd in Paradise
• Spicy Chickpea, Oats, and Carom Crackers by Magical Ingredients
• Sweet Potato Bread by Art of Natural Living
• Yellowstone Cowboy Cookies by Simply Inspired Meals