Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

 I am so excited about getting a bigger panty in my kitchen - I can hardly stand it.  Double the space means that I can store double the staples, right?  I will say that having a small pantry has taught me to be super selective and evaluate every item that has to occupy valuable pantry space, before I buy it.   It's also forced me to be super organized and some would say "borderline obsessive" about pantry storage.  🤣 Don't even get me started on how a misplaced peanut butter jar can send me into a frenzy.  🥜
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When you bake as much as I do, there are some things that you just have to keep on hand.   Most people have a bag or two of flour in their pantry - I store six at a time, in addition to a few boxes of cake flour, bread flour, self rising flour, semolina flour, gluten free flour, coconut flour and almond flour.  💁🏻‍♀️🍞Are you starting to see why pantry space is at a premium? 😂

Old fashioned, quick and steel cut oats also occupy space in my limited pantry.  Why do I have 3 different kinds of oats, you ask?  Just like flour, they all serve different purposes in different recipes.  If you're an oatmeal lover - you know.  

I find myself making more recipes out of pantry ingredients lately because I'm trying to empty it before I have to clean it out for the renovation.   My theory is that the more we can eat now, the less I have to box up and remove from the space in September.  💁🏻‍♀️😂  I was originally drawn to these Strawberry Oatmeal Bars because they were a perfect way to use up some of my pantry staples.  Then I realized that they were AMAZING!  🍓

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ginger
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon sugar

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon milk

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and ginger in a large bowl.  

Melt butter.

Stir melted butter into dry ingredients until crumbly.  

Reserve 1/2 c. mixture.  Press remaining mixture into a greased, parchment lined 8" square pan.  

Layer 1/2 of the strawberries over crust.

Sprinkle with cornstarch, lemon juice and 1/2 Tablespoon sugar.

Arrange remaining strawberries on top.  Sprinkle with 1/2 Tablespoon sugar. 

Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the top of the strawberries. 

Bake 35-40 minutes at 375.  

​Stir together glaze ingredients.

Drizzle glaze over bars.  

Now I want to try these bars with all the different summer fruits.  How amazing would this be with peaches or blueberries or raspberries?  🍑

​Ciao!

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