Raspberry Bars

I have had raspberry bars on my "to bake" list for what seems like forever! I just haven't gotten around to it - so when I saw these pop up in the AllRecipes Kid Friendly collection I knew it was time to give them a try.

I loved the almond / raspberry flavor profile. If you're not a huge fan of almond extract, you can easily sub for vanilla extract and use less or leave off the almonds on top. I used a very loose freezer raspberry jam I made not too long ago, and thought the consistency came out fine. I probably only used about 2/3 of a cup of jam, not a full cup. You can definitely mix and match the filling layer to use the jam / jelly you have on hand and make these your own! These refrigerate well and can be eaten by hand when firmed up in the fridge, or slightly warm they work great on a plate with a fork. I thought they were a little bit too sweet, and would reduce the sugar next time!

Raspberry Bars

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups quick cooking oats
3/4 - 1 cup white sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 - 1 cup raspberry jelly
2/3 cup sliced almonds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the flour, oats, and sugar in a medium bowl, stirring to blend. Mix in the softened butter until mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Remove 2 cups of the mixture to another bowl; set aside. Press remaining mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan, creating an even bottom layer.
4. Spread jelly over the top of the bottom layer, leaving a little bit of a border around the edges.
5. Sprinkle remaining batter over the top of the jelly layer evenly (should cover most of it, a little exposed jelly is fine).
6. Sprinkle the almonds over the top.
7. Bake in preheated oven 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and set all the way through.
8. Cool completely before slicing into bars and serving.

Recipe from Liana on AllRecipes