opera in the park raspberry bars

These bars are fiercely delicious. So fresh and summery.

Opera-in-the-park raspberry bars
from the penzey spice catalog

Crumb Layers:
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp, baking soda

Filling:
3 1/2 cups raspberries (I just used two pints - it came out to about 3 cups)
2 Tb. raspberry enlightenment (found at Penzey's)
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 Tb corn starch
1/3 cup oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl combine the ingredients for the crumb layers. Mix until crumbly. Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and set aside.
For the filling, combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and let cool until only slightly warm. Spread over the bottom layer in the pan. Top with the remaining crumb mixture.
Bake at 350 until the topping is golden and the raspberry filling is bubbling near the center, about 40 minutes.

Enjoy!