Description
These Strawberry Bliss Bars are a delightful combination of a buttery oat and coconut crust layered with sweet strawberry jam and topped with a generous sprinkle of white and milk chocolate chips. Baked to golden perfection, these bars offer a perfect balance of fruity sweetness and rich chocolate in every bite, making them an ideal treat for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust and Topping
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cold salted butter (cut into small pieces)
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
Filling and Topping
- 1 ¼ cups strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray it with nonstick spray to ensure easy removal of the bars after baking.
- Make Crust Mixture: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cold butter pieces, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, around 4 to 6 quick pulses. If you don’t have a food processor, you can combine these ingredients using a pastry blender or two forks.
- Add Coconut and Oats: Transfer this flour mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the shredded coconut and oats. Reserve ¾ cup of this mixture for the topping, and pour the remaining into the prepared pan. Press it down evenly to form the crust.
- Bake the Crust: Bake the crust in the preheated oven until it turns lightly golden, approximately 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the pan and let the crust cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes.
- Layer with Jam and Chocolate Chips: Carefully spread the strawberry jam evenly over the warm crust. Then sprinkle the milk and white chocolate chips over the jam layer.
- Add Topping and Bake Again: Evenly sprinkle the reserved flour-coconut-oat mixture on top of the chocolate chips. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping becomes golden brown, about 18 to 22 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan for about 1 hour to set. Once cool, use the parchment paper to lift the bars from the pan. Cut into 24 bars, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- For easier cutting, chill the bars in the refrigerator for 30 minutes after cooling at room temperature.
- If you prefer less sweetness, reduce the chocolate chips by 1/4 cup each.
- You can substitute the strawberry jam with any berry jam of your choice for different flavor variations.
- Make sure the butter is very cold when pulsing with dry ingredients to achieve the best crumbly texture.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
