Raspbery Oatmeal Squares

Raspberry oatmeal bars from Buns in my oven, oh how I love you. You are so nummy we ate the whole pan before I remembered I needed a picture.

There really are so many things to love about this little bar dessert. First, there are only 7 basic ingredients. 75% of the time I've got these ingredients on hand. I like those odds. Second, they whip up super fast. Third, they remind me of the raspberry bars from Corner Bakery Cafe.

Let me wax nostalgic about Corner Bakery Cafe for a bit. Back in the day when I worked as a glorified secretary for a marketing company, they would frequently have brainstorming meetings where they ordered in for lunch. I was never in one of those meetings, being low on the totem pole, but there were always leftovers. After the meeting was adjourned, a mass email was sent out to the rest of the company so the remnants could be devoured by the vultures. I was one of those said vultures.

The Corner Bakery Cafe must have been one of the VP's favorite lunchy places because they ordered there a lot. Most of the time there were bars. Oh Raspberry bars. Free Raspberry Bars. I am not ashamed to say that I would gorge myself on those suckers. Eating five bars in one sitting is really quite piggish. Oink oink I say! Ah, but my metabolism was much better back then. I could get away with things like that.

I did have slightly better restraint with these oatmeal bars. I only ate 1 bar at a time, but I cut the bars into nice large pieces. The only real difference between these bars and the ones from CBC are the oats. The CBC bars did not have oats. The crust was a bit more shortbread-ish. That's ok though. I like the oaty addition. This way I can say they are healthy because they have soluble fiber and fruit. Jam is a fruit. Yes it is. Jam is a fruit like ice cream is dairy so there. Plbbt.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars from buns in my oven
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 c oats
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
3/4 c seedless raspberry jam (or any other flavor just make sure it is seedless)

Preheat oven to 350. Line 8×8 dish with foil and spray with Pam. Blend together everything but the jam. Combine until you have a nice crumbly mixture without too many large chunks of butter. Use a pastry cutter, 2 knives, or your hands. I think using your hands works best. Press 2 c of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Spoon on the jam (if it is cold, nuke it to soften it up a bit) and spread to within 1/4" of the edge. Lightly press the remaining crust mixture over the top of the jam. Bake for 35-40 min til lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting.