Breakfast Bars with Plum Filling

plum breakfastThe charter school my kids go to has many fine qualities, but NOT among them is close proximity to my house.  In fact, the school is a good 8 miles away.

So we carpool.

Which can be boring.  I would never admit this out loud, though, especially not in the presence of my children, having told them many times that only boring people get bored.  “I’m glad I don’t get bored,” I tell them. “I always have lots of things to do and think about.”  After which they roll their eyes at me.

I’ve taken to searching for interesting things on the road while I drive.  And rarely does the road disappoint.

The other day, I saw this car with a bumper sticker in the shape of a diamond, which read “DRIVE FRIENDLY.”  Not “drive safely” or “drive with care.”  Drive. Friendly.  Like this guy is my mother or something.

It made me feel like driving my friendly car right into his back seat.

plum crumb bars

Another curious thing I saw involved a truck with a camper… and an organ strapped to the back of it.

AN. ORGAN.

I swear I am not making this up.  Mobile church maybe?  Either that or their campfire is way too good for guitars.

This morning I drove the carpool before I even had breakfast. I saw nothing interesting on the road today, perhaps because I was preoccupied with dreaming about these breakfast bars.  Truth be told, I made a plum cobbler for dessert, and made these plum breakfast bars the following morning, and the difference between the two is quite negligible.

bake with plums

picking plums

Yes, this breakfast food would make an excellent dessert.  Or this dessert food would make a great breakfast.  Look at it any way you want.

The best part of baking with plums is knowing they came from my Grandmother’s plum tree.  The Lizard and I took a drive to her house to pick a boxful.  I have a list of about 6-8 things I would like to bake with them, and you’re likely to see many of them on this blog.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Adapted from Raspberry Breakfast Bars by Smitten Kitchen

4.3 from 8 reviews
Breakfast Bars with Plum Filling
 
Cook time
Total time
 
A plum-filled crumbly breakfast bar.
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 24
Ingredients
CRUST:
  • ¾ cup melted butter
  • ½ cup chopped almonds or walnuts
  • 1¼ cup flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1¼ cup rolled oats
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
FILLING:
  • 2 cups diced plums
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 T. flour
  • 2 T. butter, melted and cooled
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup juice, 1 T. zest)
Instructions
  1. For crust, combine all ingredients, stirring until crumbly. Reserve about 1½ cups of crust, and spread remaining crust on the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.
  2. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until brown.
  3. For filling, combine all ingredients in a bowl, tossing until well coated.
  4. Spread filling over baked crust, then crumble reserved crust over the top.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until brown. Let cool completely, cut into 24 bars.

20 thoughts on “Breakfast Bars with Plum Filling

  1. Diane Balch

    I never get bored either… I think and when I’m not thinking i play music in my head. I told my kids I am an iPod. I love these seasonal bars … plums are great right now. Thanks for sharing this on foodie friday.

    Reply
  2. Jen Post author

    Human iPod, that’s funny! My daughter once asked me if there was a song I didn’t know. Naturally, I told her, “Of course not.”

    Reply
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  4. Miz Helen

    Jen,
    Your Plum Filled Breakfast Bar would sure keep me from being bored as I drive down the road. These little bars look delicious! Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
  5. Anne @ Domesblissity

    Hi Jen, its been a while since my last Thriving on Thursdays linky party but just wanted to know how much I loved your recipe. I’m starting the linky party back up tomorrow and I have featured this recipe. I can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks for linking up.

    Anne xx

    Reply
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  8. Amy

    Thanks for the recipe! They came out great. The only thing I might try is to reduce some of the butter and sugar to make them healthier.

    Reply
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  11. Meg

    Hi! Have you tried to freeze these? Do they do ok as a “make ahead” breakfast/snack if you freeze them?
    Thx!

    Reply
  12. Joy

    These are SO good. I am making my second batch in 3 weeks and am curious…I followed your recipe to a T but don’t seem to have enough crust to spread over a 9×13 pan. I end up making a square pan’s worth. Do you have any suggestions?

    I made these with coconut oil and if anyone was wondering, they turned up great that way so can be good if you want to make a vegan breakfast. Thank you!

    Reply
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  14. Lynn

    Making my second batch in three weeks. This batch is heading to a July 4th party. I used plums from a friend’s tree. Great recipe. Some may find it too sweet. I like the bars heated with vanilla ice-cream on top. Thanks.

    Reply
  15. KristiG

    I had the same issue someone else did…… definitely not enough crust mixture. I ended making another 1/2 batch of it so there would be enough to actually cover the bottom AND top. I also used coconut sugar and added blueberries.

    Reply

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