WITH LEMON DRIZZLE

In figuring out how to categorize this recipe, I brought the question to my tasting crew. I asked, should I call this baked oatmeal? Coffee cake? Or my favorite, (from a category I’m not sure exists) muffin bars? A plucky ten-year-old, the fiercest of my critics, said I should identify it as, “party in your mouth bars!” Whatever you call it, prepare to make two batches because they’ll be gone in a flash.

This recipe takes no time to throw together and bakes in 20 minutes. It’s a crowd pleaser for breakfast or as a midday snack. You can substitute fresh or dried strawberries for the freeze-dried variety, but you may need to increase the baking time by about 5-10 minutes. Personally, I love baking with freeze-dried strawberries because they are always in season and I can keep a few bags on hand at all times in my pantry.

ingredients

ingredients

• 191 g all purpose flour
• 102 whole rolled oats (do not use quick oats)
• 23*g sliced, freeze dried strawberries (Natierra is a great brand, use the whole bag)

*If you are using fresh, change the amount to 137 g, sliced or chopped

• 227 g milk combined with 10 g of lemon juice (homemade buttermilk)
• 109 g light brown sugar
• 109 g whole egg
• 14 g baking powder
• 2.8 g kosher salt
• 1 g ground cinnamon
• 4 g vanilla extract

Crumble

• 81 g pistachios, chopped small
• 25 g dark brown sugar
• 25 g light brown sugar
• 15 g cold butter, cut into small pieces

Drizzle

• 50 g powdered sugar, sifted
• 10 g lemon juice

equipment

• 9 x 13 baking dish, buttered
• large bowl
• whisk
• wooden spoon

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instructions

MAKE THE BATTER:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla and egg, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking powder, oats, cinnamon and sugar.

4. Add the strawberries and liquid ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir gently, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.

A note about the mixing method used in this recipe. This is a pour batter, quick bread. The goal is to produce a light, tender crumb, which means that gluten development must be at a minimum. Overmixing will cause toughness.

5. Pour the batter into a prepared pan and set aside.

MAKE THE CRUMBLE & BAKE:

1. In a small bowl, combine the chopped pistachios, both brown sugars and cold butter.
2. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the nut and sugar mixture until fully incorporated, mixture will look coarse and chunky.

3. Sprinkle the crumble topping all over the batter and bake, uncovered, for 20 – 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

COOL THE OATMEAL BARS & MAKE THE DRIZZLE:

While the bars are cooling on a rack, whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl until smooth. You can add a splash of water if it looks too thick, aim for the consistency of syrup. Use a tablespoon or fork to drizzle it over the entire surface of the bars, once they are no longer warm to the touch.