July 31, 2023
We have been in our new home for almost two months, and I THINK we have nearly all of our boxes unpacked and sorted. Who knew how much “stuff” we could accumulate over the past ten years or so? On top of moving, I had scheduled my second total knee replacement for mid-July, so getting my new home in order before surgery was my priority. Working hard to decorate the house and unpack boxes, I only had a little free time for recipe testing, so I decided to go back and test some of my old recipes and take better photos.
These bars are a favorite of mine, and I have made them repeatedly over the years using different flavors of jam. They are easy to assemble with ingredients I usually hand onhand. They are moist and tender with a shortbread-like bottom crust, jam center, and crumble topping. I used leftover chopped walnuts for the topping, but you could also use sliced almonds instead if you prefer. I used apricot jam, but any jam you prefer should work just as well. I like to refrigerate the bars for a few hours (or overnight) before slicing, and these bars freeze well if you want to serve some and save the rest for later.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 2 Cups Packed Organic Brown Sugar
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups All-purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 2 Cups Regular Rolled Oats
- 3/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts (See Notes Above)
- 1 (15 Ounce) Low Sugar Apricot Jam
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with parchment paper letting the edges extend over the pan.
- Spray the parchment lined pan with baking spray.
- In a bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until light.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
- In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and oats.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and blend at low speed until mixed.
- Remove 3/4 cup of dough and set aside.
- Take the remaining dough and with lightly floured fingertips, press the dough evenly over the bottom of the pan.
- Spread the jam over the dough in the pan.
- Add the nuts to the remaining dough and crumble the dough with your fingers, dropping it on top of the jam in small pieces to almost cover.
- Bake the bars for about 35 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Using the parchment paper, remove the bars from the pan and place on a cutting board.
- Cut into squares or small rectangles.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 528Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 120mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 3gSugar: 37gProtein: 7g
