Apricot Oat Bars

These Apricot Oat Bars are my softer alternative to flapjacks (oat squares). Super easy to make, these squares/bars, can also be made using lemon curd or Gluten Free flour.
Apricot Oat Bars
Softer Alternative To Flapjacks
*Original apricot recipe Sept. 2018. Updated photos & lemon curd added 22/05/22

Why Make This Recipe?
- Super Easy & Quick Process
- No experience Required
- No Special Equipment Required
- No Special Ingredients Required
- Inexpensive To Make
- Filling Can Be Changed
- Can Also Be Made Gluten Free
- Egg-free Recipe*
- Great For Sharing
- Can Be Made Ahead Of Time
- Soft Texture & Easy To Eat
*Egg-free without Lemon Curd & using apricot jam

Softer Version Of Flapjacks
These apricot jam oat bars (or squares), I also describe as my softer version of flapjacks. Flapjacks being known as muesli bars in the states). I have never had much luck making flapjacks that weren’t too hard, that I was able to eat. So this softer version is not only perfect if you struggle making flapjacks too, but is also softer for the mouth, making it much easier to chew.
I have a jaw condition (TMJ), so softer foods are better for me, and when I am having a particularly painful period with a flare up, I can often get really fed up of only liquids. So I end up craving something homemade, but needs to be soft to eat, as well as soft on the mouth. This is also why you will find a lot of my recipes, like biscuits, cookies, breads & rolls, will have a soft texture.

Change Up The Filling
This recipe uses apricot jam as the filling layer, but you can also use lemon curd, both of which work well. Jams that are not too sweet, work quite well in these oat bars.
You can make your own Lemon Curd or store bought.

You can make your own Lemon Curd or store bought. Try my recipe for Home Made Lemon Curd, or even blueberry orange curd, but make ahead of time, (at least the day before), and store in the fridge, just to make sure it has set and thickened enough – so you probably won’t need to thin it down for spreading. Alternatively, you could try my Plum Jam recipe, or use that recipe with another kind of fruit.
Don’t use the Lemon Curd & the recipe is egg-free.

A Note On The Ingredients
So we covered the filling of these oat bars, but what other ingredients are used?
Unsalted Butter
This recipe uses unsalted butter, and unsalted should always be used in baking for a few reasons. The salt content in salted butter can vary from brand to brand, and using unsalted, you can control your own salt intake. Salted butter also has a higher water content than unsalted, so for some bakes, this can have an effect on the end bake.
“Can I use Margarine Or Baking Spread?“
I haven’t tested these lemon curd oat bars with margarine or baking spread, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Coconut oil however, might work.

Flour
I use plain flour for these lemon bars, which is the equivalent to All Purpose flour. Gluten free flour also works. On the old site I had the recipe for the gluten free version, which was made with Plain/All Purpose Gluten Free Flour and 3/4tsp of Xanthan Gum.
Soft Dark Brown Sugar
Dark brown sugar is used, but you could use light brown sugar if needed, or even coconut sugar. If using cups for measurement, be sure to make sure you are measuring ‘packed’ cups.
Oats
These soft oat bars use oats and in particular porridge oats. The equivalent is Old Fashioned Oat or Oatmeal. No need for any fancy expensive oats.

Easy & Quick Process
Lemon curd oat bars are super simple to make. Simply beat the softened butter and sugar together, before adding in your flour and finally folding in the oats.
Half of the dough is then spread onto the bottom of a paper-lined square tin, before spreading on the apricot jam/lemon curd filling. The second half of the dough is then added on top of the lemon curd, before popping in the oven to bake for about 30 minutes.
Once baked and cooled, the oat bars are simply cut into 16 pieces and served. No decorating required. Super simple!

Tin Size To Use
I recommend using a square baking tin 20 or 22.5cm/ 8 or 9″ wide. Bigger tins would produce bars that are too shallow. You can increase the recipe if you want to use a bigger sized square tin. I can guide you through this process, in my Increasing A Recipe For A Bigger Sized Dish article.
Top Tips
Leave the baked bars overnight or for several hours, to let the bars settle more, making cutting nice neat squares, so much easier.
Alternatively, after 30 minutes cooling, pop in the fridge to speed up cooling & setting. This is a great tip for lots of bakes. Just don’t do straight out of the oven.

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Recipe Card
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*Note original Apricot & Oat Squares recipe published on 29/08/2018
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy, beginner
Recipe Card
Lemon Oat Bars

Equipment
- Square baking tin (20 or 22.5cm/ 8 or 9" width)
- Baking/parchment paper
- Lining Paste or Baking/Cooking Spray (Recommend Fry Light cooking/baking spray, or home made lining paste )
- Mixing spoon
- Hand or stand Mixer (optional if using melted butter)
- Scales
- Measuring Spoons
- Spatula or knife
- Timer or Phone Timer
- OVEN: 170°c/150°c Fan Oven/325°f/Gas Mark 3
Ingredients
- 187 grams Plain flour (6½ oz, 1 ½ cups Plain/All Purpose Flour)
- 200 grams Dark Brown sugar (7 oz, 1 cup)
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 90 grams Porridge Oats (3 oz, 1 cup Rolled Oats/Oatmeal/Old Fashioned Oats)
- 198 grams Butter, unsalted, soft & cubed (7 oz, ¾ cup + 2 tbsp)
- ½ tsp Salt
- 8 tbsp Lemon Curd or Apricot jam/jelly (Or any flavour jam you like. Home Made Lemon Curd. Might need about 2 tbsp water to slacken enough for spreading)
Instructions
- Weigh out the butter while cubing & leave out to soften & come to room temperature. Small cubes (about 1cm, less than ½"), have a smaller surface area & soften faster. Watch this hack for Softening Butter In About 12 Minutes. See Photo below.
- Set the scales to zero (TARE), with the mixing bowl on top, & weigh in the sugar. Then add the softened butter & beat with a mixer until soft & well incorporated. You will be able to easily spread the mixture, but it will not be completely smooth.
- Place the bowl back on the scales, set to zero & weigh in the flour, salt & baking powder. Mix until all is incorporated and no flour is visible. The mixture will appear dry, but if squashed together, it comes together. Finally weigh in the oats & fold in until it is all incorporated.
- Turn the oven on to heat up to: 170°c/150°c Fan Oven/325°f/Gas Mark 3, while you prepare your baking tin.
- I grease the tin (with baking or cooking spray like Fry Light, or home made lining paste) and then cut out baking/parchment paper to fit the tin. Place enough of the baking paper under the baking tin that it will cover up the sides of the tin and then cut out the corners, (you can draw where to cut or do free-hand). Then simply press the paper into position in the tin, adding more grease if required. See Photo above, click to expand.
- Split the mixture in half & drop small pieces into the bottom of the prepared tin. Then with slightly wet hands, spread the mixture down & out in order to completely cover the base of the tin. Then flatten slightly with the palms of your hands.
- Mix the jam/jelly or curd, with a small amount of water in a small bowl until it is thinned slightly and easier to spread, if needed. Spoon the jam/jelly/curd over the mixture & spread right to each corner. Use a spatula or knife to spread it out equally.
- Now take the remaining half of the mixture & place small pieces of it on top of the jam/jelly/curd layer until you have used it all up. Then spread to cover the middle layers, as best as possible. Using wet hands press down gently and even it out. Don’t worry if there are any jam/jelly pieces visible – these will cook up lovely. See photo below.
- Place in the centre of the oven for 15 mins. After this time, turn the tin around and continue bake for another 15 mins. To check if it’s done, gently shake the tin & if the contents still wobble, it needs more time. If not ready, bake for a further 2 mins. Check again for wobble. If it still wobbles, turn the tin and bake another 2 mins.
- Once there’s no wobble, you will try the centre with a clean cocktail stick. You are not looking for a clean stick when pulling it out, but rather that you have made a reasonably sharp hole in the middle. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack (while still in the tin) and leave to cool completely.
- Once cooled enough, lift out from the tin using the paper and lay on a chopping board. Cut into 4 strips and then turn and do the same again to produce 16 squares.
- Store in an airtight container, preferably in a tin, with the paper still under it to help keep in the moisture.
Notes




Nutritional Values – I am not a qualified nutritionist, and all values are approximate. Values based on 1 serving, of one oat square, from a yield of 16 pieces, where all ingredients listed are used. Make smaller or bigger pieces and these values will change. Values calculated on MyFitnessPal.com.
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Caro x
Apricot Oat Squares
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My husband loves the apricot filled ones, but as I love lemon curd, going to try these next time.
I love these oat bars, absolutely amazing. Not going to lie i don’t normally like lemon curd, but this wow, truly gorgeous…