Dinner Tonight: Raspberry Oat Bars

11/18/2012

Who among us doesn’t think the way Tom Mockensturm thinks? When confronted with a recipe calling for, say, one cup butter — that’s two sticks — he rationalizes in a big way: “The raspberry preserves and healthy oatmeal counteract the artery-clogging butter,” he jokes. The recipe originally comes from Quaker Oats.

Raspberry Oat Bars

3 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned)

1½ cups flour

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup butter, melted

½ teaspoon salt

1 jar raspberry preserves (10-12 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, melted butter, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well. Press half of the mixture on the bottom of the pan. Spread the preserves over this base. Sprinkle the rest evenly over the preserves. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars.

Other flavors of preserves also work with this recipe.

— Tom Mockensturm

Have a recipe that is fast and healthy? Send it to food@theblade.com or Dinner Tonight, The Blade, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660.