Fruit-filled Oatmeal Bars

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 25
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter
• 10 ounces preserves

Recipe

• 1 in mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and baking soda.
• 2 cut in margarine/butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• 3 reserve 1/2 cup of the flour mixture.
• 4 press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan.
• 5 spread with desired filling.
• 6 sprinkle with reserved flour mixture.
• 7 bake at 350f for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.
• 8 cool in pan on wire rack.
• 9 cut into bars.
• 10 filling options:.
• 11 ***following cookbook's 'shortcut' suggestion of substituting 10 oz jar of preserves in place of homemade filling, i used a store-bought, very dense, low-moisture apple butter (like a thick jam). i have also tried it with blueberry preserves but the preserves were too moist--it made the bars sticky not good.***.
• 12 raisin filling:.
• 13 in medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. add 1 cup raisins. cook & stir until thickened & bubbly.
• 14 apple-cinnamon filling:.
• 15 peel/core/chop 2 medium apples. in medium saucepan, combine apples, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and a dash of ground cloves. bring apple mixture to a boil; reduce heat & simmer 8-10 minutes or until apples are very tender.
• 16 apricot-coconut filling:.
• 17 in medium saucepan, combine 1 cup diced dried apricots and 3/4 cup water. bring apricot mixture to boil; reduce heat. cover and simmer 5 minutes. meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. stir into apricot mixture. cook and stir 1 minute more or until mixture is very thick. stir in 1/2 cup coconut.