I have made this recipe twice over the past week, and I am in love with it! It is an excellent substitute for store-bought granola bars, and it comes together quickly. It is also filling enough that just a small square will satisfy.
A few notes:
- The recipe calls for 10 to 12 ounces of preserves, which is an odd number to pick if you opt for 10 ounces. Canning jars come in 8, 12, and 16 ounces, so I am using a pint and a half jar or three quarters of a standard pint to make the recipe.
- Depending on the difference between your jam and your preserves, your final product will be more or less sweet. I tend to fish the whole fruit out for the filling when I use my preserves (which are just fruit and sugar); if I use my jam, the bars turn out sweeter.
- Obviously, you don't have to restrict yourself to strawberry on these. I plan to work through my backlog of cherry jam and preserves as well, and I certainly can hit my stash of blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry.
- This is a very prep-friendly recipe because the butter is the only item that is not shelf stable at room temperature.
- Speaking of butter, be aware that the bars will be very jiggly when you take them out of the oven. Give the butter and the jam/preserves time to set back up before you eat them.
The Analysis
Fast: The recipe truly comes together in 10 minutes, with 30 minutes of baking time, which is ideal for my morning baking sessions.
Cheap: The ingredients are few and inexpensive, especially if you can your own preserves. Spend some of your savings on local, hormone-free pasture butter.
Good: Although a bit more crumbly than the name "bars" would suggest, this is an excellent breakfast, snack, or dessert.
