Recipe: Easiest Ever Raspberry Jam Bars

 

Image found here

After my work holiday party, there was a lot of leftover raspberry jam. I hate to let food go to waste, so I immediately looked up recipes that call for that ingredient. This was the second recipe I found (via the Recipe Tin Eats blog), and with the word "easiest" in the title, I knew that was the one I'd make!

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups rolled oats (not quick, instant, or steel cut)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup raspberry jam

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° (fan forced) (Note 1)
2. Spray a 9-inch square tin with oil and line with baking/parchment paper with overhand (so it can be lifted out once cooked)
3. Mix together all ingredients except for the egg and jam.
4. Add the egg to the mixture and mix in fully. 
5. Place 2.5 cups of the mixture into the tin and press into base. Spread the jam (Note 2), then use your hands to crumble the remaining mixture over the top (Note 3). 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is deep golden. Remove and allow to cool in the tin before lifting out of the tin using the baking paper.
7. Cut into squares (can make 16 smaller or 9 larger!). Serve at room temperature. 

Notes

1. If you have a standard oven that is not fan forced/convection, then it will take around 40 minutes to bake. Go by the color on the top - it should be deep golden brown. 
2. If your jam is not soft and easy to spread, pop it in the microwave for 1 minute to soften.
3. The mixture will be a bit clumped together, so use your fingers to crumble it onto the top. The better your crumble it, the softer the top will be once baked, so when you bite into it, it doesn't press down and make the jam ooze out.

I do not have a convection oven, so I baked mine for 40 minutes. I didn't actually read the other notes until after I had already put the thing in the oven, but I had heated the jam for a little bit (not totally spreadable, but certainly not as solid) and I think "crumble with hands" is pretty self-explanatory.

But... I think I used too much jam, and maybe didn't save enough of the crumble mixture for the top:

Speaking of oozing... The jam was not contained. So then it was just a thin layer, which meant each bite is really mostly the flour-oatmeal mixture. And that part is quite dry. I think this would be served best with ice cream to help moisten everything. Not my proudest baking moment... but not as bad as this monstrosity.