Raspberry Crumble Bars

Makes 16 bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut up
• 1/2 cup sifted confectioner's sugar
• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup raspberry jam (preferably seedless)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-9-inch baking pan with butter or non-stick spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well blended. Add the flour and salt and beat just until the dough forms clumps. Don't over mix. Turn out the dough onto a piece of waxed paper. Lightly flour your hands and squeeze the dough into a ball (the warmth of your hands will soften the dough enough to hold it together).
3. Divide the dough into thirds. Crumble one third into a bowl and set it aside. Press the remaining two thirds evenly into the greased pan and bake it on the center oven rack for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the dough are lightly golden. While the dough cools, add the oats and nuts to the reserved dough in the bowl and pinch the ingredients together so that the mixture becomes crumbly.
4. Spread the raspberry jam on the baked shortbread (it's okay if the dough is still warm), then cover the jam with an even layer of the crumb topping. Bake the bars for 20 to 24 minutes, until the top crumbs are golden brown. While the shortbread is still slightly warm, cut it into 2 1/4-inch squares. Once the bars cool completely (they are very fragile while warm), lift them from the pan with a spatula. 

~Recipe from spoonful.com