Recipe Thursday

It's getting late, but it is still Thursday.  This recipe popped into my head as I was cleaning up dinner dishes.  You have to hear the "back" story on this recipe, before I give it to you.

Many, many years ago, I loved to collect cook books.  I had a dedicated bookcase in my kitchen for them.  Then, I had to expand them into "our den", because they outgrew their shelves in the kitchen.  I would send for many booklets that different food company's advertised for free. The recipe I am making for Recipe Thursday came out of a 1978 Quaker Oats booklet.   That year I just had my first child, so when I say many, many years ago, it was.

As I had children, and they entered school, I would make this recipe as an afternoon snack for them.  I use to make it quite a lot in those years.  Then, like everything else, the recipe was forgotten, and placed in a box of old cookbooks, not to be thrown away, but to be saved "forever"!!

After about 28 years living in the same house, we found a place to down size to.  Which meant, all my cookbooks in their boxes was put up in that house's attic, never to be seen again for 7 years, when we moved again to up size our house.  My children (4) were of great help, and the girls put some of my everyday cookbooks on a shelf in my new kitchen.

Because my "old" brain skips here and there on many subjects, I was thinking one day, whatever became of my Quaker Oats booklet with that great bar recipe?  (see hint, it is going to be a bar)  Looked high and low, for the life of me couldn't find it, and blamed my children for probably throwing it out!  So, here a few months ago, I am looking for something in the night stand of our bedroom, yup, you guessed it.  There it was.    I was so excited, that I put together a batch of these bars that day.

My son-in-law can't get enough of them.  Let me just say, they are very sweat, and really good.  Don't let the name fool you.  It is described as:  A layered treat, with the sweet taste of fruit combined with the crunch and "wholesomeness" of the oat mixture.  I think they may have been a little confused on what was "wholesome" in the 70's. LOL

Wholegrain Jam Squares

2 cups Quaker Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter 

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I usually use 1 cup)

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

1 pt preserves (I use mine that I can) 

Combine all ingredients, except preserves in large mixing bowl, beat at low speed on electric mixer until mixture is crumbly.  Reserve 2 cups; press remaining onto bottom of greased 13x9 inch pan.  Spread preserves evenly over the base; sprinkle with reserved mixture. 

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven, 25-30 min. or until golden brown.  Cool, cut into squares.

Ready for assembling..butter,flour mixture, brown sugar & oats.

Press mixture on bottom of a 13 x 9 " pan

Add preserves  and crumble reserved mixture over top

DONE.........cooling.  I cut it while it was still warm,
when completely cool, it will come out in bar form.  

Published in 1978.

I think the bars have cooled and they are calling from the kitchen...........very good with a glass of milk!!

Try it, you'll like it!!

Thanks for stopping by, please come back..........let me know if you tried them.

Sharon