Itty Bitty Raspberry Tartlettes

We hold a special fondness in this house for anything with jam in it.  We both love jam and one can often find us  on lazy days having nothing but bread and jam for our supper.   We are happy with that.  

 
"I wish I was a poet like the men that write in books
The poems that we have to learn on valleys, hills an' brooks;
I'd write of things that children like an' know an' understand,
An' when the kids recited them the folks would call them grand.
If I'd been born a Whittier, instead of what I am,
I'd write a poem now about a piece of bread an' jam."
~Edgar Guest



I know, the recipe below says Raspberry Jam Bars, and you can certainly cut them into bars if you wish . . .  but . . . if you cut them with a little round cutter, they become tartlettes. I think tartlettes look much tastier than squares, don't you?



Perfect little buttery bites, filled with crunchy oats and toasted almonds, and sweet raspberry jam. A delicious two bite snack, perfection . . . in every way.



Incredibly moreishly scrummy . . . almost too dangerous to be around. Trust me on this . . . but go ahead . . . you know you want to . . . lick the screen . .

Resistance is . . . futile.




*Raspberry Jam Bars*
Makes 16 squares, or 10 tarts
Printable Recipe

140g (1 cup) flour
pinch salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 ounces (8 TBS) unsalted butter at room temperature
85g (1/2 cup) packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
50g (1/2 cup) oats
(not instant oats)
50g (1/2 cup) sliced almonds
4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with aluminium foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats and sliced almonds. Reserve 1.2 cup of this mixture and set it aside. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop the raspberry jam over top and spread it out with a rubber spatula to within 1/2 inch of the sides of the pan all around. Crumble the reserved oat mixture evenly over top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the jam is lightly bubbling. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Use the foil overhang to lift the baked mixture out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife, or using a sharp two inch round cutter, cut it into small round tartlettes.