• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Contact
  • Dessert
  • Main Dish
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers/Snacks
  • Drinks
  • Salad
  • Bread

Dance Around the Kitchen

  • Recipes By Course
  • Recipes By Ingredient
  • Popular Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Recipes By Course
  • Recipes By Ingredient
  • Popular Recipes
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    April 17, 2019

    Raspberry Bars

    • Share
    • Tweet

    These bars have a rich, buttery crust, a flavorful raspberry filling and a drizzle of icing on top! They're easy to put together and hard to resist!

    Jump to Recipe
    An over head shot of a pan of Raspberry Bars that are cut up. A few bars are out of the pan and three are  three bars arranged in the empty space.

    My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and I'm SO glad she did! It's a recipe that's been in her family for quite some time and I knew it would be a hit on the blog - it's easy, beautiful, and tastes amazing.

    Before we get into the recipe details, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit about my brother's wife, Krista. I actually met her before my brother did. You see, Krista and I were both at Iowa State majoring in food science, so we had numerous classes together.

    One day we were in a small class and before the professor arrived, we were chit-chatting about plans for the evening. I told her that my brother's birthday was the next day, so I was going to go back to my apartment and make an apple pie for him. I didn't think much of that conversation at the time, but fast forward a year or two and it turns out that it was a memorable one.

    Krista later told me that when I mentioned I had an older brother, she thought to herself "well Kelsey's nice, so I'm sure her older brother is too" and hoped she'd get an opportunity to meet him. Well not too long after, they cross paths at an event they were both helping at. And a couple months later, Pat brought Krista home to meet the family.

    When Krista woke up that Saturday morning and walked down the stairs, Pat saw her and said "Good morning, angel!" I'm pretty sure my other siblings and I almost died of holding our laughter and amazement inside. (If you know Pat, you know that just wasn't like him!) I remember Mom saying "Yep, he's going to marry her."  And you know what they say, the rest is history!

    A collage of three images. On the left is two girls and three kids, the middle image is a bride and her brides maid,  and the right image is of three ladies.

    I love having Krista in the family for many, many reasons, but it's wonderful to have a fellow food scientist in the family. It's fun to discuss recipes with someone who understands ingredient interactions (much better than I do 99% of the time!). It's also pretty cool that she made me an aunt during my bachelorette party.....it sure made for a memorable night! And most importantly, she makes my brother happy and is the best mom to my nieces and nephew. The fact that she shares amazing recipes with me is just the icing on the cake! (Or shall I say....the icing on the raspberry bars?!) 😉

    An over head, angled shot of a stack five raspberry bars on top of each other.

    Could I use a pre-made filling?

    Yes! You can certainly use 2 cups of canned raspberry pie filling instead. And if you're feeling adventurous, try other flavors like blueberry or cherry!

    Can I make this without almond extract?

    Absolutely. I love almond extract, but if you aren't, you could simply replace it with the same amount of vanilla. You can't go wrong with vanilla!

    How will I know when my raspberry bars are done?

    They will be a light golden brown on top. Be sure to cook them on the center rack of your oven, so there's even browning on the top and bottom of the bars. I'd recommend keeping them in the pan to cool, so they're easier to cut in nice squares.....unless you just can't wait. I've been there too 😉

    A raspberry bar on top of a metal spatula just scooped out of a pan.

    Other Desserts that Use Raspberries

    Raspberry Cake

    Raspberry Zinger Cake

    Raspberry Danish

    Raspberry Bars

    kelsey
    These bars have a rich, buttery crust, a flavorful raspberry filling and a drizzle of icing on top!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep.
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Dessert
    Servings 24 squares

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 c butter room temperature
    • 1 c sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoon almond extract
    • 2 eggs
    • 2 c flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt

    Filling

    • 2 c raspberries (fresh or frozen)
    • ½ c sugar
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp cornstarch

    Icing

    • ⅔ c powdered sugar
    • 1 tablespoon water

    Instructions
     

    • In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch.  Then stir in the raspberries.
    • Microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir.  Continue to microwave in 1 minute intervals for several minutes, or until the mixture has thickened.  (It will be slightly more runny than a jam.)  Set aside.
    • Cream the butter and sugar.  Add almond extract and eggs.  Stir in the flour and salt and mix well.
    • Spread ⅔ of the batter into a greased 9x13" pan.  
    • Spread the raspberry filling on top.  Drop the remaining batter by teaspoons on top of the filling.
    • Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
    • Stir together the powdered sugar and drizzle over the slightly cooled bars.
    Keyword cookie bars, dessert, easy dessert, raspberry bars
    Tried this recipe?Follow me at @dancearoundthekitchen.kelsey and let me know how you liked it!

    Added to the Weekend Potluckand Menu Plan Monday.

    More Dessert

    • Pistachio pudding pie on a white plate.
      Pistachio Pie
    • Butterfinger poke cake.
      Butterfinger Cake
    • Cherry Cheesecake Cookie on a wooden board.
      Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
    • Hot Chocolate Brownies
      Hot Chocolate Brownies
    • Share
    • Tweet
    about kelsey

    About Kelsey

    Combining my love for food and family is a pretty easy calculation. Almost all family gatherings include food… After all, a party without cake is just a meeting right? Read more...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Linda Cece says

      February 13, 2021 at 9:31 am

      Can you use canned blueberry pie filling.?

      Reply
      • Kelsey says

        February 15, 2021 at 9:32 am

        Although I've never tried it, I would think that would work great!!!

        Reply
    2. Linda Cece says

      February 15, 2021 at 3:52 pm

      Thank you for responding. Linda

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Kelsey! I am a wife, mother and BFFs with my KitchenAid mixer, happy to bring you easy meals and decadent desserts! Welcome to my blog!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • One Pot Tuna Noodle Casserole
      Stove Top Tuna Noodle Casserole
    • Skillet Lasagna
      Skillet Lasagna
    • M&M Cookie Bars
    • Vanilla wafer scooping up some brownie batter dip with mini chocolate chips on top.
      Brownie Batter Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    SEEN ON

    as seen on promo graphic

    SEEN ON

    as seen on promo graphic

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Dance Around the Kitchen