Raspberry Crumb Bars

Raspberry Crumb Bars

My neighbor Pam and I frequently share sweet treats with each other. Lucky for us, she and her husband are both particularly good bakers.

These cookies are perfect. Not too sweet with a good texture of both crunchy and gooey. Vanilla ice cream on top is not necessary, but certainly makes it more festive and delicious!

 Ingredients

 1 ¼ cups flour
1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¾ cup cold butter cubed
8 oz raspberry preserves
¾ cup frozen raspberries (optional)

 Instructions

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. Line an 8×8 baking dish with a parchment sling and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix together until evenly combined. Add pieces of butter and work into the dry ingredients using hands or a pastry cutter. Squeeze butter and dry mixture between fingers until the mixture crumbles and sticks together for easy handling.
3. Pour two cups of the crumb mixture into the prepared baking dish. Lightly press to form an even crust. Spread raspberry preserves over the crust. Sprinkle with frozen raspberries. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Do not press crumbs, just sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the top turns slightly browned and puffed in the middle, 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool at least four hours before slicing into serving-size bar cookies.