Chocolate Oatmeal Raspberry Bars
Also known as Back to School Bars, these chocolate, oatmeal and raspberry preserve filled bar cookies are fun to wrap give as little gifts or just stash in the freezer. Cut them into bars or squares.
Servings 24 slices
Cost 5
Ingredients
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (228 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, weigh or spoon lightly into cup (250 grams)
- 1 cup light brown sugar (210 grams)
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- ¾ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats (200 grams)
- 1 cup dark, semisweet or milk chocolate chips
- ⅔ cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 ½ cups raspberry preserves, amount is approximate**
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Toast the pecans. Lay the pecans on a baking sheet and bake at 325F until fragrant -- about 10 minutes. I usually do it while the oven preheats so it takes a little longer.
- Soften the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over very gentle heat so that it's almost but not quite fully melted. Let it cool completely.
- Add the cinnamon to the melted butter if using.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and oats until evenly mixed.
- With a heavy duty scraper or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, stir the soft butter into the oat mixture until thoroughly combined and crumbly. Stir in the pecans, chocolate chips and coconut.
- Press a little over half of the oat mixture into the bottom of the pan, packing it as tightly/tight as you can. Spread the preserves over the dough and top with raspberries, gently smashing the berries. Crumble the remaining dough over the raspberry layer and gently press down flat.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and allow bars to cool completely. For easier cutting, lift from the pan and freeze or thoroughly chill before slicing.
- Store bars in the refrigerator for up to one week or wrap tightly and store in the freezer.
Notes
Use the amount of preserves that works best for you. I use around 1 ¼ cups, but I don't really measure.