Bake or Break

While making Chewy Graham Brownies the other day, my eye kept drifting to this recipe on the opposite page. Something about raspberries, oats, and brown sugar seemed specifically designed for summer.

These bars begin with a crust that is much like shortbread. Raspberry preserves are spread on top of that, with a crumb topping made from the same dough as the crust.

To make the crust and topping, beat 3/4 cup of softened butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup of brown sugar to the butter and mix well.

In a separate bowl, combine 1 & 1/2 cups of AP flour, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 & 1/2 cups of quick-cooking oats. Add this to the butter/brown sugar mixture, and mix well.

Grease/spray a 9″ x 13″ pan. Press half of the above mixture into the bottom of the pan. I used a bit more than half, just to make a good, even crust. On top of the crust, spread 10 ounces of raspberry preserves. Then, sprinkle the rest of the crust mixture on top of the preserves. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool on a rack; then cut into bars.

When these bars came out of the oven, the smell was incredible. The preserves were bubbling up through the toasty, browned crumb topping. After what seemed like forever, we cut into them and finally tasted their unbelievable goodness. The raspberry flavor is tart, and that works well with the chewy, slightly salty crust and topping. They are delicious alone, but a little scoop of ice cream certainly wouldn’t hurt.

FYI – this recipe is from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

Related posts:

1. Raspberry Hazelnut Crumble Bars
2. Oatmeal Raspberry Bars
3. Lemon Bars
4. Pecan Cheesecake Bars
5. Raspberry Almond Tarts