8tablespoonscold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Make the Crumb Topping
Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your hands or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You can use your thumb and pointer finger to squeeze the butter and crumble it with the dry ingredients. Combine until you achieve small crumbles. Set aside.
Make the Crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Prep a 9x13 inch glass baking pan with either parchment paper or grease with butter.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on low-medium, just until combined. Add vanilla and combine. Scrape down the sides with a spatula in between mixing as necessary to ensure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Slowly add it to the butter mixture in the stand mixer, and mix until the dough starts to form almost a ball.
Gently press the dough into the prepared baking dish, using your hands to gently even out the dough across the whole dish and about ¼" up the sides. If you have a small rolling pin, you can also use that to even out the dough inside the pan.
Add the Jam, Crumb Topping, and Bake
Once the dough is evened out at the bottom of the baking dish, spoon jam evenly over the dough.
Top the jam layer with the prepared crumb topping.
Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. The edges of the dough will be slightly browned when done.
Allow too cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then slice into bars.
Notes
Bars will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about one week. To freeze: make sure the bars are cooled completely, then use parchment paper in-between sliced bars and place into a freezer safe container or ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before eating.