I’m totally back in the game with these Strawberries and Cream Oat Bars. After I made the Spring Veggie Pasta with Creamy Goat Cheese Sauce I gained my confidence to get back into creating in the kitchen. These summer-y bars were inspired by a picture I saw along with a pie crust recipe for a key lime pie I made months ago. The chewy oatmeal cookie-like crust combined with smooth, sweet-cream and juicy strawberries make perfect layers for this great party dessert.
I made these bars for a Memorial Day barbecue with close friends but I think I’ll be making them throughout the summer and definitely bust them out for the 4th of July, maybe throwing some blueberries on top too, just to be festive. The recipe is simple and can easily be altered for gluten free or dairy free diets.
Besides getting back into the kitchen, we’ve slowly began getting ready for our baby girl to arrive. Through our process of dealing with Everett’s health we decided to take our home off the market and stay put for a while. This means, after the baby transitions out of a bassinet, our two kids will share a room. So, we’ll be dusting off the crib and figuring out the puzzle of fitting both beds in one tiny bungalow bedroom.
Also on our list – naming our sweet girl!! We haven’t had the bandwidth to think about names much though we’ve kept a few in the back of our minds for years but I’m excited to give this little strong one a name soon. Only 8-9 more weeks and we’ll all be meeting her!
We are also planning a fun summer. I always like to make a list of things to try and do through the season. Here’s our list for Summer 2016:
go to an outdoor concert
dine at Savor the Summit
take more hikes (more like nature walks with kids)
see an outdoor movie
visit a farm (if anyone knows of any pick your own fruit farms, please do tell!)
have more picnics
go to a Bees baseball game
That’s my list… what’d on your list for the summer??! Besides making these bars of course 😉
This is the time to eat what’s in season! Here are some amazing recipes using seasonal ingredients from my friends around the web:
Strawberry, Raspberry and Rhubarb Crisp by Completely Delicious
Hoisin Buffalo Burgers with Spicy Slaw by Cookin’ Canuck
Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Ginger Salad by Letty’s Kitchen
Blueberry-Basil Swirled Ice Cream by Floating Kitchen
Strawberries and Cream Oat Bars by The Vintage Mixer
Cucumber Noodle Tzatziki Salad by Flavor the Moments
Rhubarb Almond Danishes by Food For My Family (not pictured)
Strawberries and Cream Oat Bars
Ingredients
for the oat crust
- 3 cups oats (use gluten free oats if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)*
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
for the toppings
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup heavy cream (*see note for dairy free version)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 16 ounces (1 lb)strawberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch sheet pan and preheat the oven to 350. Melt butter and combine oats, walnuts, salt, brown sugar and butter in a bowl. Spread out the oat mixture onto the prepared pan. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until slightly brown and bubble. Let cool completely before adding the toppings.
- While the oat crust is cooking, hull and slice the strawberries. Place them in a bowl with the 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and let sit at room temp until your ready to assemble the bars. Using a mixer or blender (I found that a blender made the mixture really smooth), whip up the cream, then add the cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy. Top the cooled cookie crust with cream then sliced strawberries.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Coconut Whipped Cream Recipe for Dairy Free version of this recipe.
These bars are so beautiful, Becky. Perfect for Summer parties and potlucks. And they would definitely work with just about any berry. Summer berries are just my favorite! Can’t wait to find out what name you pick for your precious arrival!
I can’t wait until we decide too 😉
So simply beautiful. These bars look perfect for summer! I’m happy life is getting back to normal for your family, and hope you have the best summer yet!
Thanks! Wish we could enjoy the summer stuff together!
Staying put in your house sounds like a good idea so you can just enjoy the summer and and enjoy (and I can’t wait to hear what name you decide on for your baby girl). 🙂 These bars look so delicious and are definitely something I would make time and time again. I can’t wait to try them, and they’ll be perfect for the 4th with blueberries on them!
Thanks Marcie! It must be a good summer!!! I don’t think I could handle anything else at this point!
You are certainly back in the game! I’m so excited that Quebec berries are finally here!
YES!! We’re just beginning berry season here too. I want to find a place where we can pick our own but they may be all too far away.
Becky,
Thanks for the tip of substituting coconut whipped cream. I’m going to try subbing coconut oil for the butter in the crust too. Though I might not mess with the recipe at all–it looks soooo tasty–I can see why it was a hit for Memorial Day. Pinning!
Enjoy your last months waiting for your little girl.
Savor the Summit–who’s table?
I bet it would be good with coconut oil too! Let me know if you try it that way! I think we’re eating at Shabu’s table! You?!
This looks AMAZING! any suggestions for making a nut free version?
Katie, for a nut free version just add more oats.. it should be fine that way. Let me know how it turns out!
These look so delicious! I love your list of summer things to do! The Zoo is definitely on our list! And going to the pool as much as possible! 🙂
We’ll meet you guys at the zoo sometime! Or the pool!
Made these with all oats for the crust for the but free version as you suggested and they were PHENOMENAL! So so delicious!
YAY! Glad to hear it Katie! And I’m glad it worked well without nuts. Thanks for reporting back!