Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Happy fall! I am sure you’re thinking, “Umm, raspberries are so summer, and so not fall. Why this recipe now?” Well, I did make these bars in mid-July, when raspberries in the Pacific Northwest are abundant. And I did start writing this post right after I made them. Then we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in early August and I was too busy to finish the post. (I started teaching in mid-August.) Now that things have slowed down, I have a bit more free time and thought to finish writing. Ha! Since fresh raspberries are quite expensive in the grocery store right now, you can use frozen ones. Just let them thaw a bit and drain any excess liquid.

These bars use the same dough to form the base as they do the crumble topping. Which means less prep work and less dishes to wash in the end. I used golden raspberries for this recipe, hence the light orange color, but traditional red raspberries work great too.

These bars are best eaten the day they’re made, (and with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream), but will last for four days tightly covered. You can eat them plain or in a bowl topped with ice cream. They are delicious, fresh or frozen. If you’re looking for other raspberry desserts, try any of these: raspberry bars, raspberry chocolate chip muffins, raspberry crumb bars, raspberry truffle brownie bars, brownie cupcakes with raspberry buttercream, and raspberry white chocolate chip scones. Make some today! Enjoy. xoxo

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Serves: 16

Raspberry Topping:

2 c raspberries (frozen or fresh)

¾ c sugar

Pinch of salt

1 T lemon juice

2 T cornstarch

Crust:

1 c flour

1 c oatmeal 

⅔ brown sugar

¼ t baking soda

1 c unsalted butter, cold, and cut in cubes

¼ t vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×9 inch pan with cooking spray and then line with parchment paper, leaving enough room for an overhang.  Set aside.

To make the raspberry topping, if you are using frozen raspberries, allow to thaw at room temperature and drain any excess liquid.  In a large saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, salt, and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the raspberries are soft.  Cook, continually stirring, until the mixture is a soup-like consistency.  Whisk ⅓ c water with the 2 T cornstarch in a small bowl until there are no lumps.  The mixture shouldn’t be too thick, but it shouldn’t be really thin either.  (This consistency will thicken up the raspberries, so you may need to add a little more water if it is too thick or a little more cornstarch if it is too thin.) Add the cornstarch/water mixture to the raspberries and cook over the stove a few more minutes or until the mixture becomes thicker and coats the back of a wooden spoon.  Take off the heat and let it cool slightly while you make the crust.

In a large bowl, mix all the crust ingredients.  Break up the butter cubes with your fingers so it resembles a cornmeal-like texture.  (You want small lumps of the butter still.)  Reserve 1 cup and pour the rest into the prepared pan.  Press gently so the whole bottom of the pan is covered and even with the crust batter.  Pour the raspberry mixture over the crust, and then sprinkle the reserved batter over the top.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the mixture is bubbly and set.  (You can gently shake the pan to see if the mixture is set.  If it feels too soupy, cook a bit longer.)  Let cool in the pan, then lift the bars out of the pan with the overhang of parchment paper.  Place on a cutting board and then cut into bars and serve.

Recipe Source: My wonderful friend Lacy