Monday, July 8, 2013

Raspberry Crumb Bars

Raspberry Crumb Bars

I hope you all enjoyed the long Independence Day weekend.  A few work and personal commitments kept us in the city on the 4th and we didn't head out to our Long Island house until after the fireworks.  No matter though, because we still held our annual cook out over the long weekend and nobody seemed to mind that it was a couple of days late.  We also wanted to head out to Montauk and I'll fill you in on our time out there next weekend in an installment of Life in the Big City.  But today, let's talk about one of the easiest baked desserts I've ever made.

Raspberry Crumb Bars
Since we were busy and running late, I really wanted to serve something quick and easy and this recipe came together fast.  A super simple dough and a jar of fruit jelly was all it took to create these delectable treats.  I used raspberry but any fruit flavor would work.  And, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, they were the perfect summer dessert.  Enjoy!








Ingredients
2 Sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 Cup sugar
1 Teaspoon vanilla
2 1/3 Cups all purpose flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Jar (10 - 12 oz.) fruit preserves (your choice of flavor)

Raspberry Crumb Bars
Add the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla to a large bowl and beat together until creamed.  Slowly add in the flour and mix until thoroughly combined and the batter almost turns into a ball.  Turn it out onto a floured surface.

Line a 9" square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil to make it easier to remove the bars after they're baked.  Pat about 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan until you have an even layer.  Spread the jam on top but try to leave at least a 1/4" border around the sides.  Crumble the remaining dough in your hands and drop it on top of the jelly.  Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown.  Allow to cool before cutting into bars.  The number of servings depends on how many squares you cut but I chose to make 16 smaller pieces.

19 comments:

  1. These look delicious Anita! I'll take one with a big scoop of ice cream please :)

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  2. Anita.. These looks so crumbly and delicious!!! We will also take our warm and with ice cream...

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  3. You know I'm a suck for anything with a crumb topping!

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  4. I could eat a crumb bar every single day. I'd be really happy with one of these right about now...

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  5. Two scoops of ice cream for me, please! These bars look wonderful. Get this, we did absolutely nothing for the Fourth. We're old and boring.

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    1. Don't feel bad as we must be old and boring also cause we did nothing on the Fourth.

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  6. These look so delicious and I sure could eat a couple with some homemade ice cream or yogurt.

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  7. Anita, your crumbly, and delicious buttery tar reminds me of the Italian version of the crostata...made round, and filled with raspberry or strawberry jam! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. I love these kind of quick,easy,recipes..especially if there is ice cream involved :) They look delicious!

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  9. I've been shopping for like 8 hours straight. Send bars stat.

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  10. I never eat jelly or jam on toast but I love baking with it. So versatile, easy, and delicious. These look great.

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  11. Oh, my. Your crumb bars look marvelous, Anita...but topping them with ice cream is making me swoon. YUM.

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  12. These look fantastic! Crumb bars are so good and I am loving the idea of a couple of scoops of ice cream on top!

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  13. Oh gawd!! Do you know how many of these I could eat?!

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  14. These have to be one of my favorite things. I made them once and was like OMG, I have been missing this all my life?! SOOO GOOD!

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  15. Oh Anita, those bars look outstanding! Love the combination!

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  16. Oh I love crumb bars! Can you mail me a few samples :D

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  17. Raspberries? I have never made crumb cake and I think one of my favorite fruits and a new kind of cake is something I need to try!

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  18. I love how these are so easy to make - look at that gloriously short ingredient list! That means I can have amazing dessert in no time flat. With several scoops of ice cream, natch!

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