Raspberry Bars

These bars are made with just a few simple ingredients. Almonds complement mounds of fresh raspberries that cook down into a jammy middle layer. They make a great Summer dessert or afternoon treat with coffee.

raspberry bars ingredients

• 65g (or ½ cup) almonds

• 245g (or 1 7/8 cup) all-purpose flour

• 170g (or 12 Tablespoons) cold butter

• ice water - about 3 Tablespoons

• 115g (or ½ cup plus 1 Tablespoon) sugar

• 510g (about 4.5 cups) fresh raspberries

1. Place almonds in a dry pan and cook on the stove over medium heat, stirring often, until toasted and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

2. Cut butter into cubes. Combine it with salt and flour in a food processor and pulse until combined and the mixture is crumbly with some pea size pieces of butter remaining. If you don't have a food processor, cut the butter into flour with two forks or a pastry blender.

3. Divide the flour-butter crumbles evenly into 2 bowls, about 1 1/2 cups per bowl.

4. Add 3 Tablespoons ice water to one of these bowls and mix to combine to make a dough. Knead the dough gently just until it comes together, adding a small amount of additional water if necessary. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour.

5. Roughly chop toasted almonds (you can use the food processor if you have it). Combine the chopped nuts and sugar with the second bowl of flour-butter crumbles, stirring to mix thoroughly. Cover and chill until you are ready to assemble.

6. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line an 8x8 metal pan with parchment paper.

7. Roll the refrigerated dough disk out to roughly an 8x8 square, place it in the pan, and press it into the bottom, pressing it to the edge and slightly up the side of the pan.

8. Pour the fresh raspberries on top of the dough in the pan. Then sprinkle the almond-sugar crumble mix over the berries.

9. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Bars should be golden brown on top and the berry juice should be bubbling up through the crumble layer.

10. Let the bars cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift them out of the pan and let them cool completely before cutting.