Blue Ridge Blackberry Lemon Bars

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats, uncooked (either quick or old-fashioned)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup lightly toasted walnuts, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
• cooking spray
• 1 (12 ounce) jar seedless blackberry jam
• powdered sugar, if desired

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 325°f
• 2 toss together in a large mixing bowl, oats, flour, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel and salt until well blended.
• 3 sprinkle the oat mixture with lemon juice, then with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter pieces until mixture is crumbly.
• 4 spray a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• 5 reserve 2 cups of the oat mixture, then sprinkle remainder in pan, pressing with fingers to form a crust
• 6 bake crust 10 minutes, or until set. let cool slightly, then spread blackberry jam evenly over crust. sprinkle evenly with reserved oat mixture, pressing down gently.
• 7 return to oven; bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.