Raspberry Smacks

With four years of bringing baking to my school's PAC (parent advisory council...or PTA) meetings.....it is becoming more difficult to find recipes to bring that I haven't already brought.  Well this month I took a gamble and tried a new recipe....which is always a bit risky.  Good thing I did, because these were....and still are.... delicious.  The recipe is slightly modified from it's original form as I could not bring baking with nuts into the school.  If you like raspberry....and pavlova....this could be just the thing for you!  It came together with very little effort and is pretty to look at as well......Plus they have the added bonus of an interesting name.  I cannot tell you the number of times I've been tempted to give someone a little smack......and now I can. 

Raspberry Smacks
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raspberry jam for filling

Topping
2 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp shredded coconut
Crumble the first 7 ingredients together until mealy.  I just put it all in the stand mixer with the paddle attachment starting with the dry ingredients, then the butter and finally the wet ingredients., and mixed until it was all uniform.  Line pan or use a pan with a removable bottom if you have one.  I don't so I lined the pan with aluminum foil so I could remove the squares for easier cutting. A removable bottom would be better as I cracked the topping as it bent while I pulled out the bars. Press into bottom of the ungreased pan (9X9inches).
Carefully spread the jam over the bottom, being careful not to tear up the nicely pressed bottom.  I stirred up the jam first very well to make sure it would spread.
Topping:
Beat egg whites until frothy.  Add the 1 cup of brown sugar 1/3 at a time beating until stiff.  Spoon the beaten egg whites over the jam layer.  Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 25 minutes until golden.  Cut when cool with a sharp knife dipped in hot water between each cut.  Cut into 36 squares or less if you like larger pieces.