Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars

This afternoon, I was invited to a BBQ for work (yes, a BBQ in February - this is California after all) and I was brainstorming ideas for a tasty treat.  Cupcakes and cookie bars are favorites, but I thought I would try something new. How about a Raspberry Oat Crumble Bar?

I saw this recipe on yet another food blog and decided it would be perfect - a little taste of summer in mid-February.   This particular recipe was adapted from a Gourmet recipe, which included coconut, something I didn't notice until I had completed the mix,  so that's a potential add-in for the next batch.

Checking out the ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 oz (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cup raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Start off mixing the flour, brown sugar, and salt.  Like my innovative mixing bowl? For a house with 22 people, you would think we would have a few more mixing bowls.  Not so fast. 

Mix the dry ingredients and then add in the cubes of butter, mixing it until a dough starts to form. 

It was recommended to use a food processor, but seeing as I barely could find a decent mixing bowl to use, I knew we weren't going to have a food processor.  Hand mixers, a pastry cutter or human muscles will work just fine as well. 

Add in the milk and continue to mix

Slowly starting to form a pebble-like batter

VIOLA! That looks better. It's actually starting to form together

Add in the oats and knead the dough until the oats are well incorporated.

Remove about 1/2 cup of the batter and set it aside.  Place the remaining amount in a pan (this one is 9x13).  *Before you add the dough, I recommend either buttering the pan or adding parchment paper for an easy removal process

SPREAD the LOVE

Warming the jar of jam up for about 20 seconds helps it spread evenly across the batter. You also don't necessarily have to use raspberry...pick your favorite or create something unique!

Once the jam has been evenly spread on top of the jam, crumble the remaining batter on top. 

Set the pan in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown. 

Remove the pan and let the bars cool completely on a rack or the lovely kitchen counter.  Then you may lift the bars out (via the handy wax or parchment paper), divide, and demolish. 

Overall a sweet, tangy taste from the jam, but I was slightly disappointed with its chewier and denser consistency - probably due to the use of wheat flour.  At least it will be more filling :) I will see if they taste any different after cooling off and divided up.

When we arrived, Michelle and Nick, our wonderful hosts had a great spread set out - guacamole (an original mix with chunks of avocado, tomato, and possibly onion), tortilla chips, and salsa.  Nick was busy at the grill cooking up some delicious chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled veggies - the whole spread! Inside, Michelle had made up some BBQ pulled pork in a crock pot and Ghiradelli brownies (still gooey and dangerous). 

Nick & Michelle revving up the grill

Pulled Pork...delish

Nash & Lauren eating their way through the massive amount of food set up for us.  We loved it (I mean, not having to cook, that's great) but are now stuffed to the brim!

Perfectly seasoned chicken :)

Mmmmmmmm gooey and delicious

Good news! The bars were a HIT :)

Tip 1: Use white flour for a flakier taste.

Tip 2: Use a smaller pan that consolidates the dough for a thicker crust. I had decided to add more oats on top in order to cover the entire bar, but would like to leave a little more space to let the jam shine through.  So, morale of the story - use less batter on top and transfer it to the bottom crust.

Tip 3: Top a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a full dessert delight.

Enjoy!