Delicious Shortbread Bars with Berries and Oats

Delicious shortbread bars. A brief context to set expectations.

Delicious shortbread bars: Quick notes

Shortbread bars with a berry good twist! The combination of flavors is too tasty to resist.

These mixed berry oat bars have a sweet, buttery shortbread crust, that’s then filled with a tangy berry sauce. Making it ideal for both breakfast and dessert, especially this time of year.

You can use any combination of berries you like to create the gooey, jammy center. And when paired with the most irresistible oat shortbread crust, these bars are a must-try recipe. Plus, they make great edible gifts this xmas as well.

If you’re looking for something special, but also a little bit unique, for a holiday potluck or Christmas dessert, these shortbread bars are it!

I could picture them as cute edible gifts in a jar too, can you? Or even just putting all the ingredients in a jar to make ’em fresh, with a print out of the recipe to go with it. 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1-½ cups brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold
• 2 cups mixed fresh or frozen berries (see notes for information about using frozen berries)
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• Zest of 1 lemon (about 1.5 teaspoons)

How to Make Shortbread Bars

Prep

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Next, line a 9×9 square baking pan* with parchment, allowing it to hang over the edges of the pan if possible, and clipping the sides to the edges as needed. Set aside. *A 9×9 baking pan will yield 16 square bars, roughly two inches in length/width/height. You can use a bigger pan, such as a 9×13, to make thinner bars.

Make the crust/topping

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, vanilla extract, and salt. 

4. Cut in the butter and mix until crumbly.

5. Press ⅔ of the oat mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Reserve the remaining oat mixture for the crumble at the end.

Make the mixed berry filling

6. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the berries, granulated white sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until the berries are coated well. As your berries sit in the bowl, the lemon juice will render the natural juices from the berries. Be sure to drain any excess juice before spreading the berries over the shortbread crust. This is why I also recommend mixing the oat shortbread mixture first, so as to avoid any excess sitting/sweating in the berry mixture.

7. Use the edge of a mixing spoon or silicone scraper to gently macerate some of the berries, reducing any very large chunks. You don’t have to macerate the berries if you don’t want to. My blackberries were very large, so I wanted to get them cut up a bit and incorporate the pieces throughout my berry layer.

8. Spoon the berry mixture over the pressed oat crust layer in your baking pan.

Top the bars and bake

9. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the berry layer, sprinkling evenly from edge to edge.

10. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the crust is fully baked, the berry layer is bubbly, and the topping is golden brown. If you notice that your topping is browning too quickly in the oven, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil and return it to baking. Be very careful to avoid burns.

11. Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature before cutting and serving. They will fall apart easily if they aren’t cool, and will firm up upon cooling.

Notes

What kind of berries should I use?

Use any combination of berries you like. I used blackberries and raspberries. You could add or substitute sliced strawberries, blueberries, and/or black raspberries if desired.

Can I use frozen berries for the shortbread bars?

Yes! If needed, you can use frozen mixed berries. You may need to add a few extra minutes of baking time since the berry layer will be frozen before baking. 

One thing to note, if you’re using frozen berries, you do NOT need to thaw them beforehand. Your berry layer will be too juicy and may not set properly while baking, if you do.

Can I use a different kind of oats?

Be sure to use old fashioned rolled oats, NOT quick-cooking or steel cut oats. If you use these, you will compromise on consistency and cooking time.

Can I use salted butter instead?

Yes, you can use salted butter, but if you do this, skip the added salt.

How should I store the bars?

You can store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for a week. 

Or as another option, you can wrap and freeze the bars for up to 2 months. Just bring them back up to room temperature before serving.

Mixed Berry Oat Shortbread Bars

Brittni

These mixed berry oat shortbread bars are a sweet, buttery shortbread crust treat filled with a tangy berry sauce, that is ideal for both breakfast and dessert alike. Use any combination of berries you like to create the gooey, jammy center, sandwiched between the most irresistible oat shortbread crust and topping that makes these bars so divine.

• Cutting board

• Sharp knife

• Mixing bowls

• Measuring cups

• Measuring spoons

• Mixing spoon/silicone scraper

• Hand mixer, stand mixer, or pastry fork/pastry whisk (I used a Danish pastry whisk, as seen in the images)

• 9×9 square baking pan (9×13 for thinner bars)

•  Parchment paper

• Kitchen clips (to hold the parchment in place)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1-½ cups brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
• 2 cups mixed fresh or frozen berries See notes for information about using frozen berries
• ¾ cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• Juice of half a lemon about 1 tablespoon
• Zest of 1 lemon about 1.5 teaspoons

Prep and preheat

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

• Line a 9×9 square baking pan with parchment, allowing it to hang over the edges of the pan if possible, and clipping the sides to the edges as needed. Set aside.

  We reference Delicious shortbread bars briefly to keep the thread coherent.

  A short mention of Delicious shortbread bars helps readers follow the flow.

Make the mixed berry filling

• Use any combination of berries you like. I used blackberries and raspberries. You could add or substitute sliced strawberries, blueberries, and/or black raspberries if desired.
• If needed, you can use frozen mixed berries. You may need to add a few extra minutes of baking time since the berry layer will be frozen before baking.
  Do NOT thaw beforehand if using frozen berries. Your berry layer will be too juicy and may not set properly while baking.
• As your berries sit in the bowl, the lemon juice will render the natural juices from the berries. Be sure to drain any excess juice before spreading the berries over the shortbread crust. This is why I also recommend mixing the oat shortbread mixture first, so as to avoid any excess sitting/sweating in the berry mixture.
• You don’t have to macerate the berries if you don’t want to. My blackberries were very large, so I wanted to get them cut up a bit and incorporate the pieces throughout my berry layer.
• Be sure to use old fashioned rolled oats, NOT quick-cooking or steel cut oats. If you use these, you will compromise on consistency and cooking time.
• You can use salted butter, but if you do this, skip the added salt.
• A 9×9 baking pan will yield 16 square bars, two inches in length/width/height. You can use a bigger pan, such as a 9×13, to make thinner bars.
• If you notice that your topping is browning too quickly in the oven, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil and return it to baking. Be very careful to avoid burns!
• Allow the bars to cool completely to room temperature before cutting and serving. They will fall apart easily if they aren’t cool, and will firm up upon cooling.
• Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for a week.
• You can also wrap and freeze these bars for up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before serving.