Raspberry Oatmeal-Pecan Bars

My nana and papa always had some bar “cookie” in their kitchen. I vividly remember sitting around their small table watching The Price Is Right while munching on jam bars and poppy seed rolls. I also remember eating WAY too many egg salad sandwiches and fitting black olives on to the tips of my fingers so I could eat them off of my hands instead of in my salad….but that’s another post for another time. I’m not quite certain about the ingredients they used for their jam bars. My papa describes it as throwing handfuls of a million different cereals into a baking dish then adding berries, jams and the sort. I actually think they found the recipe on the back of a cereal box many years ago…probably one of those healthy things. Alas, I do not believe in baking without butter. They both start with the letter ‘B‘ after all–perfect match ! Even though this isn’t the exact recipe, jam bars always remind me of days spent around my nana and papa’s table. Let’s get cooking!Pre-heat oven to 350 and toast 3/4 cup pecans ~6 minutes. Cool completely and chop.Chopping buttery, fragrant pecans is therapeutic. Over a large bowl, sift together 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/4 tsp salt.In a mixing bowl, cream together 1 stick of butter and 2/3 cup light brown sugar until smooth.Mix in 1 egg, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and 1 tsp cinnamon until incorporated.Stir in the flour mixture.Stir in 1 1/2 cups rolled oats.Stir in chopped pecans.Press 2/3 of the dough into a greased 8×8 pan.Evenly spread ~12-13oz raspberry jam.Crumble the remaining 1/3 of the mixture on top and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden.
Raspberry Oatmeal-Pecan Bars

• 2/3 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raspberry jam

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Toast pecans for 6 minutes, cool and chop.
2. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.
4. Add eggs, vanilla and cinnamon until incorporated.
5. Mix in the flour mixture, oats and pecans.
6. Evenly press 2/3 of the batter into an 8×8 pan.
7. Top cookie layer with jam.
8. Crumble remaining 1/3 of the cookie mix on top and bake 35-40 minutes until golden.
9. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy,

Nora