It takes me forever to go through a jar of jam.
I recently moved, and when cleaning out my pantry, I found more than a dozen jars of jams, either that I’d been gifted or that I’d made myself during a canning kick three or four years ago. I felt terrible throwing them away, but it got me thinking that I need to find some new ways to use jam that don’t involve spreading it on toast or mixing it into yogurt.
Thankfully, the editors at Good Housekeeping have a solution. (Big surprise, right?)
This recipe for jam crumble bars from their new book "The Good Housekeeping Baker's Book of Essential Recipes" (Hearst Books, $35) is an ideal way to bake up something sweet with ingredients that most of us have in our pantry at any given time, no fresh fruit — or dairy, beyond the butter — required.
I adore baking recipes where a food processor does most of the work. It’ll take longer to clean the machine than assemble the dough, but you’ll be finished long before these guys come out of the oven.
Jam Crumble Bars
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
1/4 cup pecans (1 oz.), chopped
1/2 cup jam (such as raspberry or blackberry)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9-inch square baking pan with foil.
In food processor with knife blade attached, process flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon until blended. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse crumbs and, when pressed, holds together. Remove 1/2 cup dough to small bowl and stir in pecans; set aside.
Press remaining dough firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Spread with jam up to 1/4-inch from edges. With fingers, crumble reserved nut mixture over jam.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until browned at edges and on top. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
When cool, lift foil, with pastry, out of pan and place on cutting board; peel foil away from sides. Cut into 4 strips; then cut each strip crosswise into 4 pieces. Store bars in airtight container up to 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months. Makes 16 bars.
— From "The Good Housekeeping Baker's Book of Essential Recipes" (Hearst Books, $35)
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