Raspberry Oat Bars

I hope my fellow U.S. friends are enjoying the long, Labor Day weekend. I'm enjoying some family time complete with movie marathons and a little baking. My dad requested his personal favorite dessert, raspberry oat bars. They are so easy to make and yet so delicious. This recipe is a good "in between" the seasons treat. Summer is supposedly coming to an end but the sun over Texas hasn't received the message that fall is on its way yet. Even though I would rather be baking with pumpkin, cinnamon, and apples, raspberry and oats are a wonderful compromise. :)

Raspberry Oat Bars - Recipe from The Dallas Morning News

- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant)
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup reduced sugar raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch square glass baking pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar, walnuts, and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Mix together until the mixture is coarse and mealy and has no large pieces of any ingredient.

 Measure out a heaping 1 cup of mixture and set aside. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a prepared pan. Top the oat mixture with preserves, spreading evenly in a thin layer. Sprinkle the loose oat mixture previously set aside over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top turns golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely, about one hour.


Do you have any plans for the long weekend? Have you tried any new recipes lately?

Enjoy the rest of your day!