Apricot Oatmeal Bars
1 and 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tspn Baking Powder
1 and 1/2 cups quaker oats
1 cup light brown sugar
6 oz butter melted
1 Big cup of warm jam
Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the melted butter. Press half the mixture into an 8" x 12" baking pan. Spread the warm jam on top and sprinkle with the remaining mixture. Bake on 350 until brown..( about 30-40 mins). Cool and cut...Be careful...the jam is HOT!
Now just a bit of background. This recipe comes from my Mom's cookbook. She grew up in the Australian Outback on a farm where they grew wheat and raised sheep. When it was the shearing season the travelling shearers would come to the family farm and get paid to shear all the sheep. She had a number of recipes she called "Shearer's recipes" which included scones, cookies and of course, Apricot Oatmeal bars. I never really asked her why she called them "Shearer's recipes" but I like to think that is what they used to feed the shearers when they were enjoying a break from their work.
So if you get time to make this recipe you'll be bringing a little bit of the Aussie Outback into your kitchen! Happy baking.
