Oatmeal Raspberry Chocolate Bars

Wow, with all that greatness in the title of the recipe you know it's going to be good!  I found this recipe on pinterest.com!  If you're not on pinterest yet you need to be!  It's an amazing website with sooooo many ideas!  The original recipe didn't have chocolate in it but I kinda thought it needed it... chocolate and raspberry.. oh yeah! 

I have a recipe very similar to this one that I got years ago from my Aunt Dana.  I have made it many many
times!  Her recipe has nuts in the crust and no coconut or oatmeal.  I change out the jam all the time so you can have apricot bars, raspberry bars, strawberry bars and etc... You can do the same with this recipe!

I also feel like there is ALOT of coconut so I'm going to keep the recipe with the orginal amount listed below but I think next time I will use 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups because I ended up taking some off the top.  If you don't like coconut you can totally omit it!

These Oatmeal Raspberry Chocolate Bars (that's a mouth full) are delicious!  I made these today for some lunches I am catering tomorrow. 

Coconut, Raspberry and Chocolate ;)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into  pieces

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 12oz. jar of seedless raspberry jam, stirred thoroughly to loosen

1 cup Semi Chocolate Chips (or more)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment so that the parchment runs up the sides of the pan. Butter parchment.
2. Spread 3/4 cup coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast in middle of oven, checking every 2 minutes and stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes, then cool.
3. Blend together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, then add butter and blend until dough begins to form. Transfer to a bowl and knead in oats and toasted coconut until combined well.
4. Reserve 3/4 cup dough, then press remainder evenly into bottom of prepared baking pan and spread jam over it. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of jam.  Crumble reserved dough evenly over jam and chocolate chips, and then sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup (untoasted) coconut.
5. Bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, and then cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift out in 1 piece using the parchment as handles and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into bars.