Plum Jam Whole Wheat Cookie Bars
Inspired by newton-style cookies, these bars use early fall Italian plums and whole wheat to create a tasty breakfast or snack.
Servings 16 Bars
Calories 155kcal
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 3/4 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 tsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Plum Jam
- 12 Italian Plums pitted and cut into large chunks
- 4-6 Tbsp Sugar
- 3 Tbsp Apple Cider
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Milk
- 2 Tbsp Quick Oats (optional)
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Cream together the butter and sugar using a mixer. Then add in the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, dry ingredients, and spices. Then add to the butter mixture and beat on low until combined. Mix in the lemon juice.
- Separate the dough into two disks about 1/2 inch thick, and tightly wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to three days.
Plum Jam
- While the dough is chilling, add the plum pieces, apple cider, and 4 tbsp of sugar to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring and smashing the plums until soft, about 10 minutes. Add more sugar to taste if needed.
- Bring to a boil, and stir frequently for 1-15 minutes until thickened, scraping any stuck fruit off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.
- Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch into 1 tbsp of water. Add to the jam mixture while stirring, and then add in the vanilla. Stir until combined. Let cool to room temperature.
Cookie Bars
- Remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to warm up for about half an hour. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Roll out each disk into a 4 inch wide rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Use plenty of flour, since the dough can be quite sticky.
- Spread the jam in a strip in the middle of the dough, and fold the edges up to overlap. Press gently to seal the seam.
- Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the top with milk wash and dot with oats.
- Bake for 12-18 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Then slice each roll into eight pieces, about 1 1/2 inches wide. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately for best results. If needed, store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days.
Notes
- If you don't have white whole wheat flour, you can replace one-to-one with regular white flour.
- Feel free to fill these with jam made from any fruit, if you don't have access to Italian plums. Adjust the sugar to taste, depending on how tart the fruit is.
- The dough can be sticky, so use plenty of flour when rolling. You may also find it easier to roll the dough between two pieces of floured parchment paper.
- Be careful when transferring to the sheet pan, as the unbaked cookie rolls are fragile.
- The oats on top are completely optional, but use the milk wash either way. This will help the bars brown up. Feel free to top with turbinado sugar or cinnamon sugar instead.