Valentine’s Day is right on the horizon! Do you have plans with your sweetie for the day? It’s supposed to be quite cold here (15 degrees Saturday night!) so I’m thinking we’ll stay in, build a fire, and cook prime rib for dinner. With either Potatoes Anna or Crispy Roasted Potatoes on the side. And these luscious Chocolate Raspberry Bar Cookies for dessert. Sound good? I think so!
I kinda wish we didn’t put so much pressure on ourselves for Valentine’s Day. It’s similar to Christmas in that we all fall prey to the excessive marketing hype and go crazy buying cards, chocolate, and flowers. But still, it’s nice to have one day during the year when we make a special effort to show our loved ones how much we care.
Back when I was a child in elementary school, I remember that every year our whole class made little Valentine’s mailboxes to hang on the sides of our desks in anticipation of the day. We decorated our little pouches with hearts and cupids and waited for them to be filled with cards from our classmates. Remember those little boxes of Valentines with the translucent cellophane envelopes? We’d spend hours selecting just the right one for each classmate. And there was always one in the box for the teacher, too. Everyone in class got a card from everyone else. It was so much fun and all very innocent.
Then…we all grew up and things changed dramatically. High school came with all kinds of expectations and I never felt like I met them. Ever. I wasn’t a “popular girl.” I was very shy and a little chubby which probably tells you all you really need to know. February 14 was not a day I looked forward to. I didn’t really start to like it very much until I met BeeBop and, of course, my whole life changed. He’s a keeper, that one, and I hope he knows all year round just how much I adore him :-).
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally butter a 9×13 pan and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter.
Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer just until well blended. Reserve 1/2 of the batter for topping and set it aside for now.
Spread the remaining batter in the buttered baking pan. In a small bowl (or the measuring cup), stir the raspberry preserves to loosen them a bit. Dollop the preserves over the batter, then spread them evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks evenly over the preserves. Drop the reserved dough by spoonfuls over the chips.
Bake 20-25 minutes or until the batter is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. When ready to serve, dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Enjoy!
Yields 24
An easy bar cookie great for Valentine's Day!
15 minPrep Time
25 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup raspberry preserves
- 1 cup chocolate chunks
- Confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally butter a 9x13 pan and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the butter. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla and beat at medium speed with an electric mixer just until well blended. Reserve 1/2 of the batter for topping and set it aside for now.
- Spread the remaining batter in the buttered baking pan. In a small bowl (or the measuring cup), stir the raspberry preserves to loosen them a bit. Dollop the preserves over the batter, then spread them evenly. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks evenly over the preserves. Drop the reserved dough by spoonfuls over the chips.
- Bake 20-25 minutes or until the batter is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. When ready to serve, dust with confectioner’s sugar.
Notes
Adapted from Hershey's Classic Recipes.
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More bar cookie recipes you might enjoy from around the internet:
- Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars from Cookies and Cups
- Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Bars from Baking Bites
- Twix Caramel Cookie Bars from Two Peas and Their Pod
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bars from My Baking Addiction
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars from A Family Feast
What I was up to…
- One Year Ago: Bacon and Pecan Topped Toffee
- Two Years Ago: Southwestern Style Chicken
- Three Years Ago: Chocolate Walnut Pound Cake
- Four Years Ago: Peas with Lettuce
- Five Years Ago: NeeNa’s Company Chicken
- Six Years Ago: Overnight Sweet Rolls
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