I make these all the time. I've made some modifications to make them healthier (sub applesauce for some of butter, whole wheat pastry flour, less sugar, less jam filling), and my kids love them. If you make a double batch and substitute an egg for 1/4 cup of the butter, they don't crumble as much. I melt the butter and just stir it in.
I was a little skeptical on the taste of these bars since the ingredient list was so short, but WOW!!, was I amazed. These are buttery, moist, crunchy and sweet. Not dry or crumbly at all and SOOOO easy to make. Definitely double the recipe because these disappear fast and the original recipe doesn't make that much. I've also added 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the jam b4 before baking and it enhanced the flavor wonderfully. Tip: if using cold jelly, warm it up about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. This will make spreading much easier! I used jelly with seeds and it tasted great, can't tell a difference. These also keep soft and tender for days - so great for giving. You can't go wrong with this one - tastes just as awesome as the ones in my local gourmet bakery. This will be my master recipe for these bars.
My husband said these were 5 star bars and I almost felt guilty...didn't EVEN tell him how little effort it took to make them! What a great recipe to go to when you need something sweet, home baked, don't want to make a major project out of it, and with just a few ingredients that you always have on hand!
I really like these. I did bump them up a bit this time though. I used seedless blackberry Polaner All Fruit and slightly less than called for (a double batch would call for 12oz and I used a 10oz jar). I made a double batch in a 9x13" pan and greased it really well and had no trouble getting it out. I also sprinkled the jam with a few handfuls of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips before adding the final topping layer and pressing it all in. The key to this not crumbling is to really work the SOFTENED butter into the dry ingredients with your hand. If you just stir it, it won't work enough of the fat through it and it will fall apart after it's baked. All in all, a nice, sweet, easy, cookie.
When I make these and almost every other recipe for baked goods I replace butter and margarine with canola oil to cut down on saturated fats and hydrogenated fats. I use canola in all my muffin recipes with great success I never use artificial sweeteners just cut back on sugars till I get it right. Diabetes can be difficult to manage in these days of convenience foods. I love Allrecipes nutritional information. When printing recipes go to advanced print options and check nutritional information for every recipe, this feature is fantastic.
These were delicious! My only mistake was not leaving enough room between the raspberry jam and the pan, and so my raspberry leaked to the sides and was a little bit burnt. It still tasted great though!
These were PERFECT in every way! Easy, quick, and delicious! I love to bake and do bake a lot and I get lots of compliments on my treats. These moist yummy bars were way up at the top of the raves. Try em.
The only changes - apricot jam (because that's what I had on hand). I doubled the basic recipe, sprayed 9x13 plus lined the sides with sprayed parchment. They were easy to cut and super easy to get out of the pan. I drizzled a tiny bit of white chocolate on top (not necessary). I almost forgot, I also added a tsp of cinnamon to the oatmeal mixture.
Absolutley delicious and very easy to make. I added a teaspoon of cinnamon and doubled the recipe using a 13x9 pan
This cookie was great and really easy to make. I doubled the recipe and used a 12X8 pan so they were nice and thick. The crumb topping took up the whole top so I drizzled some more jam on top to give it a nice color. I also drizzled white chocolate on them when they were cooled. They looked really pretty that way.
We liked these but it didn't wow us. They were ok. Not sure if different variations of jams or different brand might make a difference.