Bistro OneSix

mom’s jam bars

bistroonesix

My mom used to make these cookies and they were always one of my favorites. They remind me of a fruit crisp in cookie form. A crumbly blend of oats and brown sugar and butter. She filled hers with homemade apricot jam and they were {thankfully} on the standard cookie rotation in our house.
I hadn’t made mom’s jam bars in a long time but when I received a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Muesli as part of their ambassador program, these cookies are one of the first thing that came to mind. Not only does their muesli have the oats that are a standard part of mom’s recipe, but it also contains other goodies like dates, raisins, sunflower seeds, walnuts and almonds – all of which seemed like solid additions. The muesli also contains flax seeds but I gave an extra bump to my version along with millet which I love for crunch. I may not have had any of my mom’s apricot jam but I did have a jar of strawberry rhubarb from last year’s harvest to sandwich in the middle.

As soon as they were cool enough to cut I was already digging into my favorite pieces – the ones in the corners that are just a little crispier than the rest. The big difference from when I was a kid? Now I can eat as many as I want – maybe even for breakfast. Muesli is breakfast food after all…right?

Hope you enjoy my mom’s jam bars and that they bring a little childhood delight into your day.


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Mom's Jam Bars
Author: 
Serves: 2 dozen
 
Ingredients
  • 1½ c flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Muesli
  • ¼ cup flax seeds
  • ¼ cup millet
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup jam
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13 x 9.5 x 2" baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
  3. Add brown sugar, muesli, flax seeds and millet. Mix thoroughly.
  4. Making sure to wet all ingredients, stir in butter.
  5. Press ⅔ of the muesli mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan making sure to get up tight to the edges and that there aren't any gaps.
  6. Spread evenly with jam.
  7. Crumble the remaining muesli mixture over the top.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes or until just starting to turn brown.
  9. Let cool and cut into bars.
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