Raspberry Oatmeal Squares

Since I've been baking pretty much the same thing for some time now i thought I'd be a tad adventures and try out something new. I saw this on the Joy Of Baking site sometime back and thought it would be fun to do especially since the recipe required my favorite - Oatmeal!

I'm not really a raspberry type of person. I prefer orange marmalade on my toast. So i didn't really know what kind of raspberry jam to buy to make these squares. I used Chives since i normally used their marmalade, i thought it would be alright. How wrong was i! The raspberry jam was kinda jelly like, which made it really hard to spread. So what i did was mix it with some hot water till it kinda looked like a thick paste, then i spread it onto the base layer. i also think i got my ingredients measured wrongly because i could not get the remaining batter to rumble properly. It's not a very nice feeling to not have things turn out the way they should. 

The results? Too SWEET!! and not in a good way. I tried on small cut and that was it! I could not bring myself to eat it. However my colleagues thought otherwise, they loved it. So i guess i am a fussy pot after all. I've still got a pack in the fridge by the way, if anyone wants it, gimme a buzz :)

What you need

Oatmeal Base:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (215 grams) light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups (180 grams) old fashioned rolled oats, divided

Filling: 1 cup raspberry jam or preserves (homemade or store bought)

Putting it together

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.

Butter (or use a non stick cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) pan. Set aside.

Oatmeal Base:

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes).

Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Add to the butter mixture and mix until well combined. Stir in 1 3/4 cups (155 grams) of the rolled oats.

Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Spread the raspberry jam (preserves) over the oatmeal base.

To the remaining dough add the remaining 1/4 cup (25 grams) of rolled oats. Crumble this mixture evenly over the top of the raspberry jam.

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Place on a wire rack to cool and then cut into squares