Peach Oatmeal Cookie Bars

A friend of L's came over on Friday morning to play.  She and her Mom brought some raspberry oatmeal cookie bars made from a recipe at the following link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/delicious-raspberry-oatmeal-cookie-bars/detail.aspx.  She mentioned that they doubled the batch and replaced half the butter with oil but I forgot about her advice when I made them.  No worries, they turned out great.  I didn't have any any raspberry jam but I did have some fresh peaches.  I cooked them down to a jam like consistency (see bottom for more information).  In short, I had to stop L from eating them because he loved them so much. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup cooked peaches (see below) or other fruit you have in the fridge

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch square pan, and line with greased foil.

Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture. Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

Cooked Peaches (or other fresh fruit)

Ingredients:

Peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces

A few tablespoons of sugar to taste

1 teaspoon corn starch (if you have a lot of fruit you may need to increase the amount)

Directions:

Cook over low heat until it is the consistency of jam.  I did not mash it but kept the pieces of fruit.  I think it gives a better texture to the oatmeal bar.