Jam & Almond Cookie Bars

Well, our first week of school is over, and I would have to say it was a total success! The boys are already making friends, loving their teachers, and excited about school again. SUCH a blessing!! Not to mention with all the communication going on between parents, administration, and teachers, after just a week this school actually feels like its own little community. I've even been tempted to join the PTA... which, for those of you who know me up close and personal, is just a little nuts. Loving my mornings with the boys, my chats with Bracken, my afternoon naps... oh wait, I haven't had any of those yet. Still catching up on errands and appointments, end of the summer-type stuff. 

Speaking of which, we got Bracken's biopsy results back, and they were actually inconclusive. She clearly has a major infection, and some of the indicators of SLO, but not all of them. Oddly enough, this is actually kinda good news, because it either means that she only has an infection, or a very mild case of SLO. Both better scenarios than, "Yikes, she totally has this awful lifelong autoimmune disease." So we're going to hit it with some mega antibiotics and a couple of growth-helping medications, and keep an eye on her nails. It'll take a few months to know for sure. Fingers (and toes!) crossed!!

Jam & Almond Cookie Bars
Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup of your favorite jam

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and/or line an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray (and parchment paper).

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder together. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and extracts and mix well. Add the flour mixture and stir till combined. Divide the dough in half (it may be a bit crumbly) and mix the almonds into one half of the dough.

Pinch off lumps of the plain dough and scatter them over the bottom of the prepared pan. Gently press into the bottom and to the edges of the pan until the whole bottom is evenly covered. Give your jam a good stir to loosen it up and spread it evenly over the dough. Scatter small, rough lumps of the dough with nuts evenly over the top of the jam.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is nicely browned. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before removing and cutting into squares.

Totally simple to put together, you could switch out the nuts if you'd like, add shredded coconut, oatmeal, chocolate chips... They're so adaptable! The top crust is a little crunchy and a little chewy, just like a cookie, while the bottom crust bakes up a little bit softer. I think they're pretty scrumptious!

Also, a great way to use up any leftover jam. I combined some homemade triple berry jam and that awesome, tangy Sour Cherry Almond jam, and they were a total hit!!

They aren't super sweet, and make great lunchbox treats or after-school snacks. You could almost call them healthy. Almost. I'll take what I can get. :)