Raspberry Breakfast Bars

You can also swap out blackberries for the raspberries, or combine them half and half!

For the crust and crumb:

1 1/2 C. flour
1 C. brown sugar
1 1/4 C. rolled oats
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 C. unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

For the raspberry filling:

1/4 C. brown sugar
1 T. grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 T. flour
1# raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/4 C. lemon juice
2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled


Grease 9 x 13-inch glass pan. Line with parchment paper; leaving overhang on both ends. Butter the parchment.

Put the flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse in short bursts until combined. Add the butter and pulse until loose crumbs form.

Reserve 1 1/2 C. of the mixture and set aside. Pour the rest of the mixture into the pan and use back of a large wooden spoon to push the crust into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. The crust should touch the sides of the pan. Bake @ 350* until golden brown, 12 - 15 minutes. Cool.

In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon and flour together. Add the raspberries, lemon juice and butter and use your hands to toss gently until the raspberries are evenly coated.

Assemble and bake the bars: Spread the raspberry filling evenly on top of the cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly on top of the filling.

Bake @ 350* for 35 - 45 minutes, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble around the edges.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve.
Refrigerate.

{LDM}