Raspberry Crumb Bars

When I was at the grocery store last week, I picked up the Taste of Home Fall Baking Cookbook magazine to flip through while I waited in the check-out line. I was in awe over the 200 recipes they highlighted for this season, so I threw the magazine on top of my groceries and went home and read through the whole thing. There are some great tips and how-tos for baking pies, breads, cheesecakes, etc. I marked several recipes that I thought looked appealing, and the next day I went back through it again and marked several more. Now that I have about half of the recipes marked as “want to try”, I don’t think I have enough months in the season to possibly get through them all! So I’ll take it week by week and see what I’m in the mood for.

This crumb bar caught my eye because I love berries and I’ve never made a dessert like this one. For a long time, I didn’t care for fruity desserts. Something about baking the fruit did not appeal to me because I love fresh fruit SO much. Over the past couple of years I’ve started branching out and trying new things (you never know what yummy goodness you could stumble upon), and I'm happy I tried these! At first, I thought they weren’t sweet enough. But then, I found myself going back for another… and then another… and back again for another one after that. I think the fact that they aren’t too sweet is they’re most appealing factor. Plus, I love the crumbly part. If you like a fruity dessert, I think you’ll like these bars. And if you’re not really a fan of fruity desserts, I still think you’ll like these bars. :)

Ingredients
Yields 3 Dozen
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup shortening
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (I used fresh, about 2 1/2 6oz cartons)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in eggs and extract. Press two-thirds of the mixture into prepared dish.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and remaining sugar; add berries and gently toss. Spoon over crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Taste of Home Fall Baking Cookbook