Yeild: about 20-24 Bars
Ingredients:
Cooking oil spray
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
3/4 cup sugar-free raspberry jam
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil by spreading two sheets of foil perpendicular to each other over the pan, with extra foil hanging over the edges. Grease the foil with cooking spray.
- Whisk the flour, wheat germ, granulated sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat in 14 tablespoons of butter with an electric mixer on low until the mixture looks like wet sand, about 1½ minutes. Reserve 1¼ cups of the mixture for the topping and put the rest into the pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press it into an even layer. Bake the crust until the edges begin to brown, about 14-18 minutes.
- Mix the reserved flour mixture with the oats, nuts, brown sugar and flax seeds. Add the remaining butter and pinch the mixture with your fingers into small clumps.
- In a separate bowl, lightly smash the raspberries, jam and lemon juice together.
- Spread the berry mixture over the hot crust and sprinkle the crumb streusel on top. Bake until golden brown, about 22-25 minutes.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove bars from pan by lifting up the foil edges. Cut into 24 squares.
Snack time is here again, and I am trying to keep it reasonably healthy and fun. I love making bars because they look delicious and are easy to eat so whole grain raspberry jam bars is what we will make today. I love anything that has streusel crumb topping so I can not wait to make it and taste some left over goodness. I Decided I would work in my Bosch kitchen today. I used the Bosch side swing wall oven which I absolutely love because when you open the oven door you do not have to worry that it will close on you; it’s simply amazing and super convenient. I line my 9×13” baking pan with tin foil so that when the bars are done I can easily take them out of the pan to cut them up with very little mess. I preheat my oven and measure out all my ingredients. I combine the flour, wheat germ, salt, and granulated sugar in my kitchen aid mixer then I add the butter on low until the mixture resembles wet sand. I then press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, reserving enough to make the streusel topping. I place it in the oven and prepare the rest of the ingredients for the topping and the filling as I wait for the crust to bake. Once I take the crust out I spread the berry mixture and sprinkle the streusel crumb over the top. Then I return it to the oven for it to finish baking. As I clean up I scrape together any left over streusel topping and snack on it, shhh don’t tell! I put everything in the Bosch dishwashers and let them run. The timer goes off and I take the jam bars out of the oven, and let them cool. Once they cool I Lift the edges of the foil to take the bars out, cut them up and serve them. Mmm mmm good!
Yours truly,
Chef in Training
