Strawberry season here in Northern Ontario doesn’t last long – only about 2 to 3 weeks so we pick as many as we can and of course eat as many as we can. Strawberry sauce, strawberry lemonade, strawberry milkshakes and Strawberry Oatmeal Squares. Strawberry Oatmeal Squares are a yummy way to use these beautiful berries. At first glance this looks like a delicious dessert, but I think this is a wonderful healthy breakfast (without the ice cream that is). Large flake oatmeal and berries- how much better could your breakfast be?
Strawberry-Oatmeal-Square
This recipe is very similar to making a Date Square except that the filling is all berry. The result is a little less crispy than a date square and not as sweet. I used lemon zest and lemon juice in this recipe as that was what was in the fruit crisper, but you could just as easily use an orange to zest and juice. When I was making the filling I cooked the strawberries just until they came to the boil and then added the cornstarch as I didn’t want the berries to loose all of their shape as the filling will still cook down once it is in the oven.
Strawberry-Oatmeal-Square
So hopefully in your neck of the woods you have a farm nearby that you can go to and pick your own strawberries. There really isn’t anything else that has that taste explosion of popping a warm strawberry fresh off the plant in your mouth. Enjoy as the season is so short!
- 2½ cup large flake rolled oats
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- zest of one lemon
- 1 cup cold salted butter, cubes
- Filling:
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup lemon or orange juice
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- Filling:
- In medium saucepan, combine berries, granulated sugar and juice. Bring to a boil stirring frequently. Meanwhile combine the cornstarch with 2 tsp of water in a small bowl. Once the berries are boiling add the cornstarch mixture and continuing stirring until thickened - only about 1 minute.
- Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, zest and butter. Mix on low speed until a crumbly mixture forms and the butter is incorporated.
- Place ⅔ of the mixture in the baking pan and press firmly into a layer with a fork.
- Spread the strawberry filling on top, then sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture on top pressing in lightly.
- Bake 40-45 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Let cool at least 20 minutes before cutting.