Apple & Raspberry Cookie Crumble Bars

 This recipe came from the desperate need to use up the last of our holiday cookies. We had a couple dozen sour cream cookies, so I figured I could grind them down and make a nice crust with them, so I did. Then I figured I could use more crumbs and make a crisp topping, which I did. Then I used a 5 year old jar of apples and some black raspberries from the garden and made something that I am very proud of. Serve it hot with a scoop of ice cream. Serve it cold and eat it like a bar cookie. Stand at the counter in your socks and underwear just grimly shoveling it into your face with a spatula; it's all good. I think you'll like it. If you don't, I don't want to know. I'm emotionally fragile. As always, notes are in blue. 

Apple Raspberry Cookie Crumble Bars

Ingredients

For the bottom and filling

• 2 cups cookie crumbs (this required about 2 dozen medium sized cookies)
• 1 stick butter (I used unsalted), melted
• 2/3 cup raspberries (I used black raspberries from our garden. Any raspberry will do)
• 1 pint apples in medium syrup (you can use your own, or try my recipe for Spiked Apples)
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

For the topping

• 1 cup cookie crumbs 
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 2/3 cup oats
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C, Gasmark 5)
2. Grease a 9x13" baking dish (we used nonstick cooking spray)
3. Pour in the 2 cups of crumbs and the melted butter. Mix to combine, then use a spatula to spread the mix into a layer on the bottom of the pan. Make sure use the spatula to compress the layer into a crust.
4. In a large bowl, mix the fruit, milk, vanilla,  and sugar. Pour onto crust and carefully spread into an even layer.
5. In another large bowl, mix the topping ingredients. Use a pastry cutter, or a couple of knives to cut the butter into the mix until you see pea-sized pieces in the mix.
6. Take the topping mix and carefully spread it evenly over the fruit layer. 

   

   Look at that beautiful top layer. LOOK AT IT.

   
   
7. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool if you want to be able to pick up and eat like a bar cookie. Otherwise serve it hot with a big old scoop of vanilla ice cream!

It's not fair how good that looks. 
Good Times!