Oat Bars with Golden Raisin Filling

Shame on me. I bought my wife the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (the one that supports breast cancer awareness month), and I was the first person to rifle through it looking for recipes. Shame on me. I was in a baking mood this evening, but didn't want a lot of fuss. I let me fingers do the walking for a recipe that was easy to prepare and had minimal ingredients. I settled on this recipe for oat bars and made my own golden raisin filling.

- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/4 Tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 TBSP sugar
- 2 Tsp. corn starch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a 9x9x2 baking pan. Metal or glassware will do.

The Filling In a medium sauce pan, heat the raisins, water, sugar, and cornstarch until the mixture is thick and bubbly. Stir often. Set aside.

The crumble In a large bowl, mix together the oats, flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and is evenly distributed.

Put it All Together Press the crumble mixture into the bottom of the ungreased baking pan. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for the top. Spread the raisin filling on top of bottom layer and then sprinkle the remaining crumble on top. Lightly press down.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack, then cut into bars.