Cookie Crumble Jam Squares

Some months back, the original Meatland website crashed, and readers lost their best-loved recipe source.

I've been painstaking restoring this newsletter recipe collection - keep checking in at www.meatland.net to find favorite recipes and new inspiration - and am finally making headway .

In the meantime, I regularly receive email requests from concerned cooks who've often made and love certain featured dishes, and are desperate for the now-lost recipe.

This gives me an accurate gauge of which gems are made most regularly - and missed most - and the secret to these fabulous Cookie Crumble Squares is requested at least once weekly.It's now safely back on the site but, for the benefit of readers who have trialed it and loved it, plus those who missed out when it was first shared some years back, I'm featuring it again here.

Simply mix up vanilla-scented dough using everyday pantry ingredients, grate half into your baking dish and top with a jam/spread of your choice, then grate the remaining dough to cover, bake, and enjoy.

We're once again ready to jam - alternative fillings are welcome - with the return of this recipe file favorite.

200 grams butter/margarine 1 cup (250 ml) sugar (can use slightly less) 2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil 2 large eggs 3 teaspoons (15 ml) vanilla 4 cups (1 000 ml) plain flour* 4 teaspoons (20 ml) baking powder 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt 1 to 1 1/2 cups jam/spread at room temperature for easy spreading * If using self-raising flour then you don't need to add baking powder. Jam can be substituted with chocolate spread - we offer parve versions too - or Lotus caramel spread which is parve. Apricot is the most commonly used jam filling but I personally prefer berry best. 1: Beat the butter/margarine and sugar with the oil and vanilla till creamy, add the eggs and beat well. 2: Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix to make a soft dough. 3: Divide the ball of dough in two and place in the freezer for 40 minutes. 4: Using the largest holes on your hand-grater, grate one ball over the surface of your sprayed tin, cover with jam/topping to make a thick layer, then grate second ball over to cover completely without any gaps showing. It may be worth making the second ball a bit bigger than the first so that you can be sure you have enough grated dough for the top layer. 4: Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for approximately 40 - 45 minutes till golden and crunchy. 5: Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar if desired. * Pan to measure approximately 20 cm x 25 cm.