Winter 2012 Holiday Recipes: Chewy Raspberry Almond Bars

This recipe comes from Betty Crocker and sounded too good to pass up. Lisa baked these according to their directions and they came out fantastic! The success of this Treat Tuesday offering led her to share some tips at the end of this blog for how to adapt this recipe to other flavor combinations.

Yesterday was our sales manager, Alex Valencia’s birthday and that means next week’s Treat Tuesday feature will be his birthday treat of choice! What will he pick? You’ll have to come back next week to find out!

Chewy Raspberry Almond Bars

• 1 1/2 c. quick-cook oatmeal
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 c. cold butter
• 1 beaten egg
• 3/4 c. seedless red raspberry jam
• 1 c. (6 oz) fresh raspberries
• 1/2 c. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan with non-stick or baking spray.

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, brown sugar and salt until mixed. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter, or pulse in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture for topping, mix the beaten egg into the remainder until moistened.

Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan and spread the jam evenly over the top. Sprinkle the fresh raspberries on top of the jam, gently crumbling if need be. Cover with the reserved cup of oatmeal topping and sliced almonds.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool completely before slicing into squares. Makes about 16 bars.

Ideas to Mix Things Up

Try experimenting with some other flavors besides raspberry and almond. Some of Lisa’s suggestions for substituting include: 

• orange marmalade with fresh cranberries and walnuts;
• peach preserves with pecans; or
• strawberry or grape jelly and chopped peanuts (PB&J!).

Really, any combination of fruit and nuts will work here as long as you like those flavor pairings! Just be careful if using dried fruits – they can sometimes harden. Also, don’t be afraid to toss in some mini chocolate chips to the topping or drizzle some chocolate after baking for an extra sweet surprise!