Here’s another quarantine treat that we’ve perfected over here – raspberry almond bars.

I’ve made these three times since March. That’s how much the family has enjoyed them. FW even requested these (along with ice cream) be his birthday treat, instead of cake! (He takes after me — who needs cake when you can have cookies, ice cream, etc.)

These are so easy. If you are looking for a delicious almond/fruit-like treat, I highly recommend these. The first time I made these, I didn’t have almond extract and used vanilla instead. They came out good, but if you love almond as much as I do I definitely recommend using almond extract! We also made them with a few different types of jellies and jams so far. Raspberry has been my favorite so this is our favorite combination — raspberry almond. If you want to half the recipe you can, you just need to put them in an 8×8 pan and then adjust the baking time (may not take as long but keep an eye on it!).

Raspberry Almond Bars

Here’s what you need:

• 2 cups butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 4 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam or preserves (Note: I’ve also made this with mixed berry preserves and it was also good!)

Here’s what you do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 pan. I like to line it with parchment paper or foil, you can also just spray it with Pam or another non-stick spray.
2. Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer. Blend until mixed well. Add in eggs and almond extract.
3. Slowly add in flour, salt and oats. Mix on well until just combined.
4. Divide dough in half. Press half the dough on the bottom of the prepared pan.
5. Spread jam or preserves on top. Don’t spread all the way to the edge — it may leak out and burn.
6. Take remaining dough and crumble on top of jam evenly.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes until slightly golden brown and cooked through.
8. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I like to cool mine in the fridge overnight.

Questions for you:

• Do you like almond-flavored desserts?
• What would you request for your birthday treat/dessert?