1 c. butter at room temp.
1/2 c. sifted powdered sugar
2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rolled or quick oats
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 c. seedless raspberry preserves

Position rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter a 9 x 9 pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until completely smooth. Sift in the flour and salt and blend all together until the dough forms crumbs or large clumps.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed paper. With lightly floured hands form the dough into a ball. The warmth of your hands softens the butter and brings the dough together. Divide the dough ball into thirds. Crumble one portion into a bowl and press the remaining portions into a layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and pale gold on the top. Remove from oven and cool. Meanwhile, add oats and nuts to the remaining dough in the bowl and pinch it all together to form crumbs. Spread the preserves over the baked dough in the pan; then top evenly with the crumbs. Return the pan to the oven to bake for an additional 20 -24 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown on the top.

Cool completely before cutting into 16 bars. These bars are fragile when warm, so make sure they are cold before removing from the pan.