Raspberry Granola Bars

Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup coconut
12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
1 apple, any variety, cored and grated (and peeled)
1 cup (10 oz jar) raspberry preserves or spreadable fruit
Directions
First, toast the nuts. To do this, spread the nuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let them cool completely before chopping them up.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with flour added cooking spray or grease and flour as you wish.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oats, and brown sugar. If you are using salt, add it. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter. Alternatively, dump flour, oats and brown sugar in a food processor and cut in the cold butter by pulsing the processor. Stir in the coconut and chopped up nuts.Pat a little more than half of this (about 3 cups) mixture into the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, stir together the grated apple and preserves. Spread the preserve mixture over partially baked crust. Sprinkle remaining oatmeal mixture over top and return to oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until top is golden.Cool completely before cutting