Raspberry Crumble Bars

These super easy bars are good any time of the day. I thought of it as a dessert because of the shortbread cookie crust but turns out ....it's great for breakfast and even as a midafternoon snack. Another thing i love about it is it has great texture from the cookie crust, the tart raspberry middle all the way to the crumble topping. My kids always have a bake sale going on in school and I always tend to make bundt cakes, muffins or cupcakes... now I have something new, thanks to Ina Garten. By the way, I'm soooo addicted to her show she makes simple, basic but really glam looking dishes. I'm all about that--- practical and if it could be glam, why the hell not!!! So thanks Ina!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

10-12 oz good raspberry jam

2/3 cup good granola

1/4 cup sliced almonds

conectioner's sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on medium speed until combined. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.

Sift the flour and salt togerther and with the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it almost comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out on a board. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and about 1/4 inch up the sides. Spread with the jam, leaving a 1/4 inch border. Mix the granola into the remaining dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of the surface, Sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool completely and cut into squares. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners` sugar.

Finish it off with confectioners` sugar....