[Punkie]

This was listed in our newspaper today as the "local" recipe. It is delicious, and I was able to make it dairy-free by substituting Earth Balance for the butter

The article says that you can use any jam or preserve. I had some cherry jam here and it turned out great!

Lafayette Oatmeal Day Raspberry Bars
2 1/2 cups Quaker Quick cooking oatmeal (I used regular though)
2 1/2 cups flour
Pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups melted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican vanilla (I omitted due to an allergy in the family)
1 12-ounce jar of raspberry preserves of the highest quality you can get
2 tablespoons Chambord liqueur, or water if you prefer

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13x9x2 baking pan. Combine oats, flour, salt and sugar. Add melted butter and vanilla to dry ingredients. Combine until crumbly. Put about 3 cups of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of your pan and press it down. Mix together the liqueur or water along with the preserves/jam. Spread the jam mixture over the oatmeal mixture. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture on top of the preserves and press it down to make it even. Bake 18-23 minutes or until the top is very brown. Cool on rack and cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.