Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Use a ½ tsp of the butter to grease the inside of an 8x8-inch baking dish.

Step 2

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Step 3

Cut the remaining butter into chunks, add it to the bowl with the flour and oat mixture, and use your hands to work the butter into the mixture until everything looks sort of crumbly or like damp sand, and no large lumps of butter remain.

Step 4

Pour half of the oat mixture into the baking dish and press it down until it forms a solid layer.

Step 5

Stir the jam to break up any clumps, then drop the jam in small spoonfuls onto the pressed oat mixture in the baking dish. Try to stay away from adding the jam too close to the edges. It's okay if the jam doesn't form a solid layer. Do not try to spread it with a spoon or knife.

Step 6

Once all of the jam has been added on top of the bottom oat layer, sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top, leaving it loose and crumbly.

Step 7

Bake the oat bars for about 30 minutes or until the top is nicely golden. Remove the bars from the oven, allow them to cool, then cut into nine squares and serve.