Raspberry Almond Cookie Bars

Before we bought our place we live in now, we rented this little farm house where we were completely spoiled. We had free reign over a nicely established raspberry patch in the back. It was huge. During raspberry picking season it would take me about an hour and a half to pick the whole patch, and that was picking about every 2-3 days. I was in heaven because I am a huge lover of raspberries.

I also love to make treats, especially on Sundays and, with my girls when possible. On Sundays we don't do much else other than go to church and maybe an occasional family dinner, so I like to do something special with my girls. My oldest said she would make cookies with me the other Sunday and when I asked her what kind she wanted to make, she said raspberry. I was at a little of a loss because I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to make them. I've seen raspberry flavored icings on cookies, raspberry chips and even raspberry jam, but I wanted that pure, unadulterated raspberry flavor that comes from using real berries.

Well, I altered a simple bar cookie recipe and this is what I came up with. They were amazing! I was kicking myself for only making a very small batch because they didn't last more than 4 or 5 hours. My husband said he liked them as much as I like brownies. Now that's saying something.

Raspberry Almond Cookie Bars
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almonds (slivered, sliced or roughly chopped)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup fresh raspberries (if using frozen, thaw and let drain)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray, line with parchment paper. then spray again.

Combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt and almonds in a medium bowl. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; 2-3 minutes. Add egg and almond extract and mix to incorporate. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.

Spread about 2/3 of the dough into the prepared baking pan. The dough is pretty sticky, you could use a spatula to help you spread it out or even just drop it by the spoonful very close together. When it cooks, it will all come together anyway.

Gently lay raspberries evenly over the first cookie layer, then drop the rest of the dough by spoon fulls over the raspberry layer.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes in pan, then gently pull them out with the parchemnt paper and let them completely cool on a rack.

Linked to...
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story
Sweets For A Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
It's A Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper

Banana Bars

These banana bars totally take me back to my college days. Along with chocolate chip cookies and brownies, these were my standard goodies. When I made these the other day, a whole 9x13 pan for our small family, they did not even last 24 hours. Ok, I did give a few away to our neighbor, but still!

Bananas and chocolate are a great combination and for me the darker the chocolate, the browner the banana the better! You don't want to miss these delicious treats.

Banana Bars
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (about 2) mashed ripe banana
1 egg
1 pkg. (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in bananas and egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into greased 9x13 baking pan or 15x10 jelly roll pan.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.


SOURCE:Toll House Best-Loved Cookies Cookbook

Linked to...
Recipe Swap Thursday @ Prairie Story
Sweets for a Saturday @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Full Plate Thursday @ Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen
Seasonal Sunday @ Real Sustenance
It's A Keeper Thursday @ It's A Keeper

S'mores Bars

It seems like all I've been making lately is sweets. But, with summer come the outdoor parties and potlucks and we've had our fair share the past month or so. I don't complain because I love to be in the kitchen making anything delicious. These s'mores bars are a perfect summer treat because they are reminiscent of camping even when we can't go. I'm usually a dark chocolate kind of girl, except when it comes to Hershey's milk chocolate on a s'more. There's almost nothing better!


1 stick of butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
6 regular-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars
1 large egg
1 7-oz jar marshmallow creme
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 package graham crackers, processed to a fine crumb(I think there's 9 full sheets in a package) or about 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a medium-sized baking pan (8 or 9-inch square or 8 x 11.5-inch). Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Set aside. Meanwhile,whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

Place chocolate bars over dough, breaking it as needed to fit. Microwave the marshmallow creme for about 10 seconds and it should easily come out of the jar. Spread it over the chocolate bars. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the marshmallow creme and press down slightly, to flatten, with your hand. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Be sure to cool completely before cutting into bars. Makes 16 squares.

SOURCE:Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

Chewey Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies

Growing up Sundays were always family days. We went to church, came home, rested, and had Sunday dinner together. Usually in the evening either my mom and I or my sister and I would make cookies or brownies. The tradition kind of stuck and I still love to make a sweet treat on Sunday evenings. These blondies remind me of both brownies, but blonde, and chocolate chip cookies; a two for one! Since we have a small family, this was the perfect size batch for us.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coconut extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

For drizzle and garnish: (optional)
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
1 tsp. butter or shortening
Sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-X-8-inch square baking dish. In a small bowl, sift together the flour and salt; set aside. In another mixing bowl combine the melted butter and brown sugar and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and coconut extracts until well blended. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until they have been incorporated.

Add the shredded coconut and chocolate chips to the bowl, and fold in with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until set in the center but still soft. Do not over bake. Let the bars cool slightly before drizzling.

(optional) To make the drizzle, combine the chocolate chunks and butter or shortening in a small, heatproof bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring in between, until completely melted and smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a plastic bag with a very tiny piece of the corner cut off and drizzle over the bars. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut before the chocolate sets, if desired. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.


SOURCE:Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats.