If you’re like me, you sometimes just want something sweet and homemade, but don’t really want to move that much. Or you’re stressed out from your daily barrage of news and headlines, and just want to have a sweet treat. This crumble is for you. It’s also one of what I’m calling my Quarantine Recipes. This Jammy Oatmeal Crumble is designed for a friend of a friend who doesn’t have a huge amount of fancy ingredients on hand. So if you’re hankering for a sweet treat, but don’t have a pantry full of fancy pants stuff, this one is for you too!
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I’ve been asking around to friends and family about what foods they have in their pantries. Most people are trying to support frontline workers by self isolating and social distancing. Which means less quick trips out to the store. So cooking and baking with foods you have in the house already is high priority. A few friends that I spoke with all mentioned having oatmeal, and jam in their cupboards. Right away I thought, Crumble! Well, crumbles are yummy, but they aren’t exactly a quick snack. More like a fun dessert. And what people seem to be craving more often right now is quick little pick me ups. So, Jammy Oatmeal Crumble Bars! You can eat these warm as a nice dessert or hand held like a cookie. Perfect!

Simple Ingredients
Okay, so what ingredients are we talking about here? Simple! Jam, oatmeal, sugar, butter, flour, baking soda, salt. Stuff you likely have on hand. I, for one, always have jams and jellies in my house. I think I just attract kind people who like to gift me these yummy canned things. And though they last for ages, I do sometimes feel like I should be able to eat through them more quickly. Using them in cooking and baking is a great way to really highlight their flavours and enjoy them. (Not that toast isn’t a great way too)

These jammy oatmeal crumble bars are a super recipe for small kitchens too! They use only one bowl, one baking dish, and no special tools. Which means if you are trapped in a tiny apartment for your quarantine, you won’t be filling up your kitchen with a million dishes to make it.

I like these with whipped cream or ice cream. But if you eat them when they aren’t warm, they make for a great cookie bar. So excellent for a quick snack while watching that 100th episode of The Simpsons.

And I don’t know exactly why I feel this way, but these bars feel less unhealthy than other baked goods you might be munching on. Probably because oatmeal and jam sometimes coincide with healthy breakfasts! I realize that’s not scientific in anyway, but it’s not always about science, sometimes it’s all about yumminess!
Looking for other Quarantine Cooking recipes? How about trying your hand at simple Bread Baking? Or a delightful Maple Vodka Milkshake?

Jammy Oatmeal Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Quick Oats
- 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup Cold Butter
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 cups Jam or Fruit Preserves
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 375F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cut the cold butter into small cubes, and add to the dry ingredients. Using your fingers, gently rub and crumble the butter into the dry mix. Rub the butter into the mix until it resembles damp sand, without too many large chunks of butter.
- Set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture aside.
- Press the rest of the mix into your 8×8 dish to create the base of your crumble.
- Pour the jam onto the base and spread it evenly all over it.
- Top the jam layer with the 3/4 cup of the crumb mix that you set aside earlier, by just crumbling it loosely on top.
- Bake for about 25 minutes until the top is golden and crisp.
- Allow to cool slightly in the pan, before gently lifting it out and letting it cool fully on a wire rack. Once cool, you can cut it into 12 equal pieces and store at room temperature in an air tight container for about a week. Or in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks.

Can I use canned or fresh apples instead of the jam? I think they would be fantastic with apples but I wouldn’t know how to go about using them in your recipes.
I’d say canned apples would probably work 1:1. Maybe cut or mash them just slightly to get a jam like texture. With fresh apples, the texture would definitely be different. If you prepared them as if you were making pie filling regardless if it’s the same or different from the original, it would likely still be very yummy!
Thank you! I can’t wait to try these with apples. I think they will be delicious! I am also going to share your post with some friends on Facebook.
Thanks for sharing it!