Description
Strawberry Bliss Bars are a delightful treat featuring a buttery oat and coconut crust layered with sweet strawberry jam and topped with a mix of milk and white chocolate chips. Baked to golden perfection, these bars offer a perfect balance of fruity sweetness and rich chocolate, making them ideal for snacks, dessert, or sharing at gatherings.
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
- 1 ¼ cups strawberry jam
Topping
- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray to prevent sticking.
- Prepare crust mixture: In a food processor, pulse together flour, cold butter pieces, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse meal. This usually takes about 4 to 6 pulses. If you don’t have a food processor, a pastry blender or two forks will work to combine the ingredients.
- Incorporate coconut and oats: Transfer the flour mixture to a bowl and stir in the shredded coconut and old-fashioned oats. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture for the topping, setting it aside. Press the remaining mixture evenly into the prepared pan to form the crust.
- Bake crust: Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until it becomes lightly golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Add jam and chocolate: Carefully spread the strawberry jam evenly over the warm crust. Sprinkle both milk and white chocolate chips evenly on top of the jam.
- Add reserved topping: Evenly sprinkle the reserved flour-coconut-oat mixture over the chocolate chip layer.
- Bake bars: Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 18 to 22 minutes, or until the top turns a beautiful golden brown.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan for about 1 hour. Using the parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into 24 bars and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can blend the crust mixture using a pastry blender or two forks.
- Make sure the butter is cold to create a crumbly crust texture.
- For easier removal, use parchment paper to lift bars out of the pan after baking.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.
- Feel free to substitute strawberry jam with your preferred fruit jam for variety.
