Raspberry Bars

• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 1/2 sticks butter (1 1/4 cup, at room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup finely chopped roasted unsalted pecans
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 20 oz. raspberry jam or preserves (about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup rolled oats (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside, or create a parchment sling by cutting parchment paper a few inches wider than the pan then pressing it inside.
2. Add the flour, butter, sugars, egg, pecans, and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on low speed until the mixture is just crumbly, scraping the sides and stirring often. 
3. Press all but about 1.5 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 14 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the oats to the remaining crumble mixture and use your fingers to work the oats into the crumble.
5. Remove the crust from the oven and dollop with the jam, gently spreading it evenly over the crust. Scatter the oat crumble evenly over the top. Return to the oven and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the jam is bubbly and crust is golden brown.
6. Cool completely before serving, or eat warm from the pan (though you might get more of a scoop than a slice while it's still warm). Bars keep well covered at room temperature for up to 6 days

Notes

If you’re making this for someone with a nut allergy, you can omit the pecans.

You can serve this recipe straight out of the pan, but if you prefer, you can make a parchment paper sling to remove it easily from the pan to slice. To make a sling, cut a strip of parchment that is slightly wider than the short side of your pan, so it overhangs on both sides. Grease the pan, then place the parchment on top of it. Add the crust and fillings on top of the parchment. Once the bars are completely cool, you can lift the whole thing out of the pan to slice.

The bars will need to cool in order to slice neatly, but if you need a slice warm from the oven I totally get it! Go for it, but just know you might end up with something more like a scoop than a slice. (It’s DIVINE served warm with ice cream, like a raspberry crisp!)