Plum Cobbler Bars
Use fresh plums to make this scrumptious dessert.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds red, black or purple plums, pits removed and roughly chopped - about 6 cups. Do not need to peel.
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1/3 cup, granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups old-fashioned oats
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks), melted
- sanding sugar, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine plums and 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar. Leave over medium-low heat stirring occasionally, until the fruit release juices and becomes very tender, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, place a small place in the refrigerator to chill. You'll use this later to check the doneness of the jam.
- Puree plum mixture in pot, using an immersion blender (be careful of splashing), or remove from the pot and puree in a blender or food processor until relatively smooth. Return puree to the pot if you removed it, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and reduces by about half, about 10 minutes. You should end up with about 3 1/2 cups of plum jam. You can test the doneness by spooning a small amount of the jam onto the chilled plate, returning to the refrigerator and letting it sit for 2 minutes. It should keep a clean line when you run your finger through it.
- In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar with the cornstarch to combine. Whisk sugar-cornstarch mixture into the jam and cook, stirring occasionally until it simmers. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring well to prevent scorching. Stir in the vanilla extract and cool plum mixture to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper with overhang on all sides. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture forms streusel-like crumbs. (I used a round pie pan and an 8 x 8-inch square pan, dividing layers between the two and baked them for 35 minutes.)
- Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread cooked plum jam in an even layer over the crust, then sprinkle remaining crumb mixture evenly over the top of the jam. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired.
- Bake until the jam bubbles at the edges and the streusel is lightly browned, 45-55 minutes. Cool completely before slicing into 12 pieces.
- The jam can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored, refrigerated until ready to use. The bars can be made up to 2 days ahead, and leftovers can be stored for up to 5 days.