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
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