Raspberries have such a brilliant color and go so well with the holiday season. But the red raspberry is not the only type or color that is available. They come in black, purple, and golden, but the red is the most common.
Not only are they a brilliant color, but the benefits are pretty substantial. Here is a link to Red Raspberries: Nutrition Facts, Benefits and More from the website Healthline. But, you can also read more about the raspberry from WebMD about the Health Benefits of Raspberries.
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Ingredients
I am providing what is needed to make the bars but also if you want to make my raspberry filling.
Complete Bars
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon
- Kosher Salt
- Old fashion oats
- White chocolate chips
- Almond slices
- Raspberry filling
Make Raspberry Filling
- Raspberries
- Sugar white
- Cornstarch
- Lemon juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Butter unsalted
Making the Raspberry Filling
To find a more detailed recipe description and FAQs, please visit the Raspberry Filling Recipe page. I made this filling the day before and chilled it over night. I stirred it once in a while.
I start by juicing the lemon and setting it aside. I also add the cornstarch to a small bowl. Don't add the lemon juice yet.
Next, add the cleaned raspberries and sugar to a 3qt saucepan. Bring to a medium boil over medium to medium-high heat. It takes about 5 to 6 minutes to dissolve the sugar and soften the raspberries. You want to stir the raspberries most of the time when making the filling.
As the raspberries soften, you want to press them along the sides of the pan with a spoon. I use a wooden spoon to break them up. The goal is to reduce the liquid. As it reduces, it will thicken slightly. This process takes about 8 minutes.
Now you want to add the lemon juice to the corn starch. This will not be enough liquid, so with your spoon, add some of the raspberry juice and mix. Now, add cornstarch to the sauce pan with the raspberry filling and stir for about 3 minutes. Once it has thickened, remove the pan from the heat.
Finally, add the vanilla extract and the pat of butter and stir. I move the filling to a bowl for at least 10 minutes to cool before moving it to one or two glass containers. I had 2 ⅓ cups of filling and you will need it all for the raspberry bars.
Time to Make the Shortbread Bars
One thing I hate about shortbread bars is if the bottom part is not baked the complete way through. So I bake my bottom shortbread to give it a head start before I assemble the complete raspberry bars.
A Few Things To Prep
You will need a 9 X 9 baking square pan. I butter the inside and then dust it with flour. I take a sheet of parchment paper and cut the width, so it fits the bottom of the pan. You will want to leave it hang over the 2 opposite sides of the pan for handles.
Set the pan aside.
Making the Shortbread
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). You will want to get your food processor out for making the shortbread dough.
Weigh or measure white and light brown sugar and add it to the food processor bowl. Next weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the cinnamon and salt. I run a whisk through to blend before adding it to the food processor bowl.
Take the butter and cut it into cubes. Make sure it is cold butter. I do 2 long pulses of about 5 seconds each to give the butter a chance to get mix into the flour-sugar mixture in the bowl. Then do 10 to 12 quick pulse and it should come together into small and medium clumps. If not, keep pulsing until it does,
Take half the shortbread dough and lay it around the bottom of the prepared 9 X 9 pan and press it down until it covers the bottom of the pan. Make sure there are no gaps.
Then take the old fashion oats and sprinkle them on top of the shortbread, pressing the oats down so they stay put while baking. Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 13-15 minutes. It will be a little soft but that is good since you are going to bake it again.
Once out of the oven, just push down on any spots that may have swelled up. You want it as even as possible. Let it cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. You want to be able to handle the pan without the pan being hot.
Assemble the Shortbread Bars
Now comes the fun part, putting it all together. Grab the raspberry filling and add half of it so that it covers the partially baked shortbread bottom.
Sprinkle the white chocolate chips on top of the filling. Then, take the rest of the raspberry filling and cover the white chocolate chips.
Next, add the other half of the shortbread pieces around on top of the filling. You want medium to small pieces. If you have large pieces break them into smaller pieces.
Finally, spread the almonds on top of it all. Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 35 to 40 minutes. I check the doneness after it has baked for 35 minutes. If your oven runs hot, you want to check it after it has baked for 30 minutes.
After pulling the pan from the oven, I set it on a rack to cool for an hour. I stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Do not leave it in the fridge for any longer since shortbread will get really soft if left in there for too long.
You can cut the bars right in the pan or tilt the pan's one side up and pull the opposite side parchment paper handle so the whole thing just slides out. Remember, this is fresh fruit, so it will still have moisture in the fruit. I lay a piece of paper towel on the bottom of the container so it can absorb the moisture. I just laid the lid across the top but did not seal it.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
I have not used jar jam or preserves for my bars, so not sure how they would hold up after being baked and cut into bars. The main reason I make my own is to control the sugar amount and the thickness of the filling. I would say try it and see if your favorite raspberry jam will work.
Yes, of course! I love white chocolate, so I use it whenever I can, plus it goes so well with raspberries. But you could use milk or dark chocolate chips if that is what you prefer.
The difference in pan sizes makes a difference. A 9 X 9 pan equals 81 square inches and a 13 X 9 pan equals 117 square inches. So, you would get 24 bars in a 13 X 9 pan as opposed to 16 bars in a 9 X 9 pan. In my recipe there is a heading for servings. If you put in 24 bars, it will adjust the ingredients amount you will need to make the same raspberry bars as I made in a 9 X 13 pan.
Other Bars to Try
Recipe
Raspberry White Chocolate Almond Shortbread Bars
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
Raspberry Filling (Not included in the time)
- 24 ounces (24 ounces) Raspberries
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- 2 Tablespoons (2 Tablespoons) Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- ½ Tablespoon (0.5 Tablespoon) Butter unsalted
Shortbread Bars
- 1 cup (227 g) Butter unsalted cold and cubed
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar white
- ¼ cup (55 g) Light brown sugar
- 2 ½ cups (312.5 g) All-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- ¼ cup (20.27 g) Old fashion oats
- ½ cup (90 g) White chocolate chips
- ½ cup (46 g) Almond slices
- 2 ⅓ cup Raspberry filling (recipe above)
Instructions
Raspberry Filling
- Rinse all the raspberries in a colander and try to get as much of the water off, then add them to the saucepan. Next, juice the lemon and set it aside. Weigh or measure the white sugar and add it to the raspberries in the saucepan.
- Start by adding the raspberries and sugar to a 3qt saucepan on a medium-high heat. This takes a good 5 to 6 minutes for the sugar to dissolve and come to a boil. During this time, the raspberries soften, and I use a wooden spoon to press the raspberries along the side of the pan to break them apart.
- Continue to stir and break down the raspberries. You want to reduce the liquid by keeping the raspberry mixture at a medium boil. This takes about 8 minutes. The liquid will thicken a little as you reduce the liquid. Add the corn starch to a small bowl and the lemon juice. There will not be enough lemon juice to stir the corn starch. So, I add some of the raspberry liquid to the lemon and cornstarch so that you can mix the corn starch. Then add the corn starch mixture back into the saucepan. Stir for another 3 minutes so the raspberry filling can thicken.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the vanilla extract and the pat of butter and stir until the butter has melted. Pour the raspberry filling into a bowl or something with a spout. After the raspberry filling has cooled for about 20 minutes, transfer to a glass container that has a tight-fitting lid. Chill for at least an hour or over night.
Shortbread Bars
- Weigh or measure the white and light brown sugars and add them to the bowl of a food processor. Next, weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour, the cinnamon and the salt. Run a whisk through to blend. Add the flour mixture right on top of the sugars. Finally, add the cubed cold butter right on top of the sugar-flour mixture in the food processor bowl.
- I do a couple of 5 second pulses, then continue with 10 - 12 quick pulses. You want the shortbread to be coming together with medium to small balls of dough. Depending on your food processor, you may need a few more pulses. Then move the dough to a dish.
- Butter and flour a 9 X 9 square baking pan. Take a sheet of parchment paper and cut the length so it lines the bottom and up and over 2 opposite sides. These will be handles (check photo in the post for example). Take half of the shortbread dough that you got from the food processor and spread it around the bottom of the baking pan, right on top of the parchment paper. Press down on the dough so that you have the whole bottom of the pan covered. Take the Old Fashion Oats, and spread it on top of the shortbread dough. Press down lightly so they won't move much when baked.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Bake for 13-15 minutes. You want a light-colored bake. It will be a little soft, but that is perfect; it will be baked again. Let it cool for 10 minutes or until you can handle the pan with your hands.
- Grab the raspberry filling and you want to spread half on top of the partially baked shortbread. Then take the white chocolate chips and sprinkle them on top of the filling. Now take the other half of the raspberry filling and cover the white chocolate chips. Take the remaining half of the shortbread pieces and drop them around on top of the raspberry filling. If some pieces are too big, break them up into smaller pieces. Finally, take the almond slices and sprinkle them on top of the shortbread pieces. Ready for the oven.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 35 to 40 minutes. Once out of the oven, let it cool on a cookie rack for an hour. Afterwards I like to chill the shortbread for about 20 minutes just to firm everything up before cutting it into bars. Don't leave it in the fridge long shortbread seems to collect moisture from the fridge and will get soft.
- You can slide the shortbread out by tilting the pan and pulling on one of the parchment paper handle or cut it right in the pan. I put them in a container, but don't put the lid on tight. I keep the lid off or just lay the lid across the top. If the bottom gets soft and moist, I line the bottom of the container with a paper towel sheet.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Barbara
This recipe works really well with the raspberry filling.