Bar cookies can be a lifesaver recipe when you need an easy dessert. These blackberry bars fall neatly into that category. I used 100% fruit preserves rather than jam, jelly, or pie filling, but any of those would work. This recipe came to me from another lifesaver. We called her Grandma Golden!
Grandma’s Rescue
When my daughter was born, I learned quickly that being a parent is a 24-7 job. I should have already known that, right? But, it was one of those things that you don’t really “get” until it happens. You have no frame of reference to help you imagine it.
Grandma Golden became my rescuer. She was the mom of one of our neighbors, and she loved babies. She was willing to babysit one morning a week so that I could get out and do my errands. It was a time I cherished.
Blackberry Bars
Grandma Golden wasn’t just a babysitter, she was also a friend, and someone who enjoyed life. She was social, and inquisitive, and fun! She also made darned good bar cookies.
Here is her recipe for Blackberry Bars. It’s easy and delicious. She used apricot preserves, (and called the recipe Apricot Bars); but, you can use any fruit filling with great results.
Here’s a great tip she gave me: score the bars while the dish is still warm, then let the bars cool before removing them from the pan. It’s much easier to cut them warm than cool!
Grandma Golden's Blackberry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ½ c. flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ c. quick oats
- 1 c. brown sugar
- ¾ c. butter
- 1 c. blackberry preserves or any fruit preserve flavor you prefer
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Stir in the oatmeal and sugar.
- Cut butter in with a pastry blender, until the mixture forms small crumbs.
- Pat 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
- Spread preserves on top of crust (warm preserves, if necessary, to make them easier to spread).
- Sprinkle remaining crumbs over the preserves.
- Bake about 35 minutes. Cut the bars when the pan is still warm, but wait for them to thoroughly cool before removing from the pan.
