Oatmeal Bars with Sour Cherry Jam

I have a friend, Soraya, who loves to make jam. And the jams are, quite frankly, phenomenal. She is always kind enough to share them with us, and we love them. But, we don't eat a lot of jam. I use it more in recipes than just eating on toast or bread. 

I have a handful of recipes that call for jam (thumbprint cookies, trifle), but I wanted something that would complement this really unusual sour cherry jam she made us this year. I like the fact that it isn't overly sweet, and it made these almost taste like a filled granola bar. I think the beauty of this recipe is that I could substitute any jam for the filling, but the mixture of the sour cherries and garam masala was perfection.

Oatmeal Bars with Sour Cherry Jam

2 sticks butter, softened (1 cup)

1 3/4 cup oatmeal

1 3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon garam masala

12 ounces sour cherry jam (or whatever kind you prefer)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together the butter and the dry ingredients. Press half of this mixture into a 9 by 13 pan, to form a crust. Evenly spread the jam over the top of the crust. Gently sprinkle the remaining dry mixture evenly over the jam, and press down lightly to set. Bake 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting into squares.