Homemade Strawberry Jam

1. Combine all 3 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring down to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. It will produce steam and pink foamy bubbles will form. Keep stirring and gently mash down the strawberries as they soften.
3. It’s ready when the mixture turns a deep red and most of the pink foam has disappeared. It should also thicken and coat the back of your spoon. Pour into a glass measuring cup to make sure you have 1 cup. If it’s still way over, continue to cook until it’s reduced down.
4. Let it sit out at room temp while you make the bars.

Base Layer & Oat Crumble

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper, allowing it to hang over the sides.
2. Combine the 1 1/4 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of oats, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
3. Cream together the butter, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and egg and then the dry ingredients.
4. Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of your prepped pan using your fingers. Bake for 8 minutes then allow it to cool at room temp.
5. With the remaining 1/3 of the dough still in the bowl, mix in the additional 1 tbsp of flour, 3 tbsp of oats, and 2 tbsp of brown sugar to form the crumble. Transfer to the fridge while you finish the rest of the layers.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

1. Cream together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer or with a hand mixer.
2. Once smooth, mix in the egg and vanilla.

Assemble

1. Spread the cheesecake batter in an even layer on top of the cooled peanut butter base layer. It’s ok if it’s still a little warm, but it shouldn’t be too hot.
2. At this point the jam should be at the right consistency. Gently spoon about 3/4 cup in an even layer on top of the cheesecake and carefully spread it even, not to disrupt the cheesecake layer.
3. Take the crumble out of the fridge and rub small pieces between your fingers to crumble it over the jam layer. Use it all up to completely cover the jam.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tips of the crumble begin to turn golden brown.
5. Allow the bars to cool at room temp for 20 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
6. Run a knife along the sides that touch the pan (the jam tends to stick a little) and lift the bars out using the parchment paper. Slice into 9 or 16 bars and dig in!