Rowing for Coconut & Jam Oat Bars
About this time of year, I wax nostalgic about one of my passions (not food this time), rowing. Say what? Yes, rowing. I started rowing, gosh too many years ago to count, and it changed my life. Instead of trudging toward a sedentary, middle-aged lifestyle, it became my sport and form of exercise.
Spending early morning hours on the water (trust me, I am not a morning person) watching the sunrise, the first rays of light hitting the ripples of water made by the boat, it’s magical. Beyond that (there’s more?), I have made lifelong friends, found a community, and experienced the camaraderie created by competition, joy, and pain. #Crewlife
Rock Star Regatta
Boston annually hosts the largest regatta (rowing competition) in the world, the Head of the Charles. Every October, collegiate, high school, Masters (anyone out of school) converge for the regatta. Imagine the Boston Marathon but with a bunch of really tall people, wearing spandex (lol) in boats on the Charles. We row as hard as we can for 5km. All the while navigating through boats, under bridges (5), and around turns. Throngs of spectators line the bridges and banks of the Charles to watch and root their rowers on. It’s exhilarating, I haven’t raced there in a while and I miss it.
Side Trip Fun
If you go that far to race for twenty minutes, you might as well take advantage of being there. We began taking side trips after Head of the Charles. One year we went to Vermont to find pie, visit King Arthur Flour, and tour Ben and Jerry’s. Another year found us in Martha’s Vineyard. The crowds of summer long gone, we wandered the island taking in the cool, crisp, fall weather, foliage colors, and FOOD! We stopped at 7aFoods for pastries and coffee which I highly recommend. Finally, a stop at Morning Glory Farm to roam their pumpkin patch and eat more pie, the Buttermilk Pie was a standout.
The 7AFoods Oat and Fruit Bars were dreamy-a buttery crust topped with blueberry preserves, dried fruits, oat, and a delicious crumble. I asked for the recipe which they graciously sent BUT I have yet to try as it makes two full sheets of bars! So I searched for a simpler, smaller recipe that would satisfy my 7AFoods bar craving. Luckily, I found a delightful, easy-to-make Raspberry Coconut Oat Bar cookie from One Girl Cookies that did the trick.
So, I made a batch of these delicious bars while watching this year’s Head of the Charles Regatta. Sigh, maybe next year I’ll be rowing instead of baking.
Finally, Notes on the One Girl Cookies Raspberry Coconut Oat Bar
These bars are easy to make. The base crust and crumble are from the same dough. The dough starts with cold butter, eliminating the time to soften butter, and can be made in a mixer or by hand. Yep, that easy. Use a mixer, add the flour, sugars, salt, and butter (diced into little pieces) and mix until it forms a crumble, then add coconut and oatmeal. Use a pastry blender to cut butter into flour and sugar mixture. This is much like making pie dough. Do not blend until it forms a single mass as that would result in a tough crust. As it bakes, the bits of butter in the dough melt and create steam that makes a tender, flaky crust.
NACL Note
The recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt. It is intentionally salt-forward, a play on the salty and sweet vibe. If you use a really sweet jam, I would leave the amount of salt. If you are salt sensitive, try 3/4 teaspoon instead. You do need some salt as a flavor booster.
Reserve 3/4 to 1 cup of the crumble mixture. Press the remaining dough into a 9×13 baking pan that has been lined with parchment. The recipe calls for baking the crust for 14 minutes, it took a couple of minutes more for the edges to brown for me. Spread preserves over the cooled crust. I have used blueberry, mixed berry, and apricot, it’s your choice. The base crust is pretty thin so a thin layer of jam is all that is needed. I might sprinkle the jam layer with dried fruit and sliced almonds before adding the crumble next time.
Before adding the crumble, squeeze the crumble mixture so there are some bigger crumbs, it looks nicer.
With Blueberry Lichi Jam!
With apricot cherry preserves!
JAMMY COCONUT OAT BARS
Ingredients
All About the Dough
- 1-1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt Very salt forward, decrease to 3/4 tsp. if desired
Add to Dough Crumble
- 3/4 cup (85g) unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1-1/2 cups (148g) old-fashioned rolled oats
The Finish
- 1/2 cup raspberry preserves or use your favorite preserves
Optional Adds
- 1/4-1/3 cup diced dried fruit that compliments the preserves you use
- 1/4-1/3 cup sliced almonds or chopped nuts of your choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Spread the coconut on a baking sheet. Toast 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep your eye on it as coconut will brown quickly
- Grease a 9"x 13"x 2" baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In an electric mixer on low speed, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and continue mixing until the dough begins to come together. Stir in the coconut and oats.
- Remove 3/4-1 cup of the crust dough. Set aside. If adding optional ingredients remove 3/4 cup of crumble.
- Pour the remaining dough to pan. Press evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan, I use a flat bottom cup to press dough into pan. Bake 14-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. The crust should be golden brown around the edges. Allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes.
- Spread the preserves evenly over the crust, leaving a scant 1/2-inch border. If you are adding nuts or dried fruit, sprinkle on preserves now then crumble the reserved dough over the top. Bake 7 minutes, or until the preserves are bubbly. Cool completely in pan.
- Run a knife around the edges of the bars. Place a baking sheet on top of the pan and flip the pan over to release the bars. Peel the parchment paper off. Then flip again. Using a sharp knife, cut the bars into squares, which in a 9x13 won't be exactly squared, lol.
