As a long-time friend of a certain person, I have decided to share a recipe of my own making with and for her. To be clear, I did not make the recipe for this friend, specifically (obviously, as a high-functioning narcissist); I made it for myself. My mother has a “secret family recipe” for a thing called “Raspberry Squares,” and as a long-time eater of said “Squares,” I wanted to create a slightly healthier option that I could eat more frequently than twice a year (both for the “Holidays”). To be clear, this is not actually that much healthier of a recipe, but it feels healthier to eat, therefore, it is. With nothing left to say, I present to you …
Whole-Wheat ShOATbread Jam Squares (or Rectangles in this case)
350 degrees F
Cream together:
1 c plant butter (aka margarine, a worthy change in perception by Country Crock, if you ask me. I saw it in stores for the first time last week [on massive sale, btw], and so, tried it out. It’s basically pure fat, which is perfect for baking shortbread.) or butter, Crisco, etc.
1/4 c white sugar
1/3 c brown sugar (loosely scooped or poured, not packed down)
1 large egg
1/2 t almond extract
Add drys:
2 c whole wheat flour
2 c rolled oats (not oatmeal)
1/2 t baking power
1/4 t salt
Mix until batter sticks to itself (easy to make balls or something) but still crumbles
Portion half the batter into a pan and evenly pack down (I used a square ceramic pan)
Smear 1/2 c jam (of your choice) to cover entire first layer of batter
Cover layer of jam with a second layer of batter and evenly pack down
Add 2 T jam as a glaze on top of the second layer of batter
Bake 32 minutes
(I’m not at high altitude, Babe, so I’m not sure how to differ the recipe. It doesn’t rise all that much anyway, so, maybe it won’t be a problem.)
