Have you ever had those cereal bars they sell at the grocery store that are soft on the outside and filled with fruit? These Strawberry Breakfast Bars are similar in taste to those, only much more delicious and better for you because they are homemade. The smell of these bars cooking wafted through the house and caused my hubby to ask "what is that amazing smell?" He was even more impressed when I told him that our 4 year old helped to make this family friendly recipe. She loves to help and pressing the buttons on the food processor (under strict supervision of course!) was a blast. Oh to be 4! If you like these Strawberry Breakfast Bars, don't miss our yummy Lemon Bars.
Ingredients:
Crust and topping:
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
- 1 cup of quick cook oats
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 cup of cubed butter
- 1 tablespoon of orange juice
Bar filling:
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
- 11 oz of sliced strawberries
- 1/2 tablespoon of orange juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Pour flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and combine by pressing the pulse button a few times.
Cut butter into cubes and add to the food processor.
Press the pulse button until the butter has been incorporated into the crumb mixture. Add the oats and press to combine again. It will still look like a crumby mixture. At this point, remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside to use for the topping. Add 1 tablespoon of orange juice to the food processor and to combine, press pulse a few times. My daughter especially loved this part!
Pour the mixture from the food processor into the greased 9x9 pan. Press it into the pan evenly. Little hands are perfect for this kind of job!
To make the filling, combine the brown sugar, flour and orange juice until moistened and then add the sliced strawberries. Mix until the strawberries are coated.
Distribute the strawberries evenly onto the crust.
Remember the crumb topping you set aside? You will be using it now. Sprinkle it over the strawberries.
Before you put this in the oven, spray the top with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. When I took this out of the oven, I let it cool for about 40 minutes since the fruit filling is very hot.
Cut into bars. These can be stored in the refrigerator.
We used strawberries for the filling since they are in season, but these bars would work with a variety of berries or other fruits. Use what you have on hand.
If you can, get little ones involved in making these strawberry breakfast bars. It is a great time to bond and experience the joy of baking.
For more breakfast ideas that kids can help out with, check out:
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