The first time I had raspberries was after I got married and we went to New York state to visit my husband’s parents. His mother grew raspberries and blueberries and a whole new “berry world” was opened to me. In south Arkansas, the extent of our fresh berries were pretty much blackberries, which grew wild by the side of the gravel roads and you got covered with red bugs (chiggers) and ticks when you picked them. We also had strawberries which were grown in gardens if the hot weather did not kill them. In addition to experiencing raspberries and blueberries for the first time, my mother-in-law also grew red currants and gooseberries which I had never even heard of– much less tasted.

I now love all things raspberry and this is a nice dessert bar that uses raspberry jelly or jam. The recipe can be doubled to bake in a 9 x 14 inch pan.

Raspberry Bars

Crumb Mixture

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

Filling

3/4 cup raspberry preserves or jam

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine all crumb mixture ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 2 cups crumb mixture; set aside.

3. Press remaining crumb mixture on bottom of greased 8-inch square baking pan.

4. Spread preserves to within 1/2 inch of edge. Crumble reserved crumb mixture over preserves.

5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely; cut into bars.