Strawberry & Black Pepper Oatmeal Crunch Squares

Sweet. Heat. Strawberry & Black Pepper Oatmeal Crunch Squares are my new fave!

That’s what this is all about. The black pepper in these bars creates a food-mood.

The heat that’s happening here makes our oatmeal crunch feel a little dangerous…these squares come to the table with a bit of an attitude.

Have you had strawberries with black pepper? Sure you have.

Have you ever topped a salad with berries and then seasoned your salad with salt and pepper? Of course.

Did you like it? I bet you did.

The strawberry jam and black pepper are the yin and yang of this dessert. They exemplify how contrary forces actually complement one another. They interact to form a system where the whole is greater than its parts.

We’ve got crunch. We’ve got sweet. We’ve got heat. Together, we’ve got ridiculously good.

I wish this was the kind of demonstration my instructors would have used to teach about magnetic forces and opposites attracting. I would have looked much more forward to 7th period science.

So there you have it.

Delectable. Crumbly. Scrumptious. Sweet. Heat.

And if you don’t believe me…ask science.

Sweet strawberry jam and spicy black peppercorn enveloped in crunchy oatmeal crumbles…

A match made in heaven.

Buon Appetito!

Strawberry-Oatmeal Crunch Squares

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina
• Category: Dessert

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Ingredients

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• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• 1 cup strawberry jam
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla paste
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 F.
2. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan
3. In a food processor, combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and cinnamon.
4. Pulse 2 or 3 times until blended.
5. Add the butter and pulse 8 – 10 times until the mixture forms large, course crumbs the size of small peas.
6. Remove 2 cups of the crumb mixture and set aside.
7. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan.
8. In a small bowl, combine strawberry preserves, vanilla paste and black pepper.
9. Drop teaspoons of the jam evenly over the crust, then spread it gently with the back of a spoon to cover the crust.
10. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the jam layer.
11. Bake until the top is lightly browned, 50 – 55 minutes.
12. Transfer to a rack and let cool until firm, about 2 hours.
13. Using a large, sharp knife, cut into squares.
14. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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ADDENDUM:

I had every intention of including this link before posting but it slipped right by me…I guess one cup of coffee this morning wasn’t enough!

CIAO!