Eat This: Oatmeal & Fruit Bars

Raspberry Preserve Bars

Ingredients

1/2 Cup (1 stick) butter softened (but not melted)
1 Cup packed brown sugar (I use light brown)
1 Cup All purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1 Cup Rolled Oats (I use Quaker Oats Quick Oats)
1 Tsp. Flavored Extract (I used Almond, but you can use Lemon or vanilla, etc.)
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 Cup Fruit - Jam, Marmalade, Preserves, Curd (Lemon or Lime Curd is AWESOME)
      (don't use jelly because it gets way too runny)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  The first time I did this I set the oven to 400 and, well, not so good. Lightly spray one 8 inch square pan (I use glass because it really seems to work well and it cleans up better) with no-stick cooking spray or use butter (even better);

I use a stand mixer, not required, but it really makes life easier.  So in the bowl of the mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until it is light and fluffy and then quickly add in the extract;

Add the flour, baking powder and oatsl to the butter and sugar and mix until it is a "pea sized"  crumbly mixture.;

Reserve 1/2 Cup of the crumb mixture for the top; gently pat the remainder of the mixture into the prepared pan;

Spread the fruit (This time I used raspberry preserves)almost to the edge. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top;

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven - check it at 30 minutes and if your oven is like mine, pu tit back for 5 (..or until lightly browned.) 

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bar or square shapes.  This recipe yielded 12 bars for me.  I like them cold, but easiest to cut at room temp.  Enjoy.