chewy cherry almond bars

This may be one of my favorite recipes I've tried. These bars came out so chewy and almond-y, and the cherry was the perfect touch! I think the best way to tell if your baking is good is if people keep eating more past the first time they try it. Case in point, my family eating basically all the bars ;) 

Chewy Cherry Almond Bars (recipe from BHG)

ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups regular rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• one 12 oz jar cherry preserves (or any other fruit!)

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges of the pan. Grease foil; set pan aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and almond extract until combined. Beat in the flour next, and finish by folding in the oats and almonds with a spatula.
3. Remove 1/2 cup of the dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread with preserves. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over preserves layer.
4. Bake in the preheated oven about 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut cookies out of the pan. Cut into bars. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try them out, or use something other than cherry preserves! I recommend eating them warmed up over vanilla ice cream!

-Kylie