Raspberry Lemon Bars

Ingredient List

Crust-

3 C Oats

1 C Flour

1/2 C Brown Sugar

1/2 C Coconut Sugar

2 Tb. Lemon Zest

1 Tb. Lemon Juice

1/2 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 C Butter

Filling-

4 C Raspberries

1/2 C Raspberry Jam

1 Tb. Lemon Juice

1/4 C Corn Starch

Sugar, optional

Crumble-

1/3 of the Crust Recipe, prepared

1/2 C flour

I love fruit filled bars! They are so flavorful and have a brightness about them that screams summer! They go together pretty easily and don’t require a long bake time. They keep for up to 2 weeks in a fridge (as long as they are wrapped in an air tight container). Here is how I made the Raspberry Lemon Bars.

I start with the dry ingredients for the crust. Mix the oats, flour, sugars, lemon zest and baking powder in the food processor. I like my oats to be chopped fine. If you don’t want the oats fine, then you can do this step by hand. Totally up to you and your texture preference.

I then take the butter, and lemon juice into the food processor and combine everything together.

I then take 2/3rds of the mixture and press it into the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish. Bake the crust for 13 minutes at 375 degrees.

While the crust is baking, I make the filling. I combine the berries, jam, corn starch and lemon juice together in a pot. After the corn starch is mixed in, THEN I turn on the heat to medium. After cooking everything down a bit and allowing the mix to thicken a bit, I taste the filling. If it needs more sweetness, add some sugar. I don’t use an exact measurement because all berries and jam are NOT created equal. Just add a little sugar at a time until you get the taste you are looking for. Cook the fruit until it is about a pie thickness.

While the crust and fruit filling are cooking, take this time to make the crumble on top. I take the left over 1/3 of the crust and add 1/2 cup of flour to make the topping. The crumble needs to be a little drier than the crust. It will help hold onto the fruit filling and become nice and toasty on top!

After the crust is baked, take your fruit filling and spread it gently on top of the crust.

Now take the crumble mixture and crumble it on top of the fruit filling. I use my fingers for this step. It works much faster than trying to use a spoon or fork. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees or until the crumble is nice and toasty. I then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely for 2 hours. Then you can cut into bars and enjoy! These go well with coffee or a mid afternoon snack!