Easy to make, pretty in color, and customizable with different jams, these festive bars are an easy holiday win!
A lovely balance of sweet, tart, and a little crunchy, this easy bar cookie recipe is truly a winner.
In fact, the festive bars were one of eight winning recipes in the 2024 Fig holiday cookie contest, run in conjunction with Garden Spot Village. I had the distinct pleasure of judging this contest, and these bar cookies, submitted by Barbara Martin, scored high points with taste testers.
The cookies also earn high marks for reasons beyond taste. For starters, they are easy to prepare and can be made in advance. Additionally, the recipe worked well with gluten-free and dairy-free modifications, and the ingredients, in general, allow for a good deal of flexibility.
The bars also cut well and are sturdy. After all, when people pick them up from a cookie platter, they should stay in tact and not crumble. These bars pass that test.
Interestingly, among the taste testers I recruited, quite a few said fruity cookies were not their first choice. Yet they all gave these bars high marks.
They cited the crisp, nutty crust, which served as the perfect base. They also thought the jam filling was well balanced by the semi-sweet chocolate.
I concur and consider these bars a unique addition to any holiday cookie platter. They’d make a delightful Valentine’s Day treat too.
What the recipe testers said:
- Possible substitutions include finely chopped walnuts or almonds, strawberry jam, and white chocolate chips.
- For easy removal, I was tempted to line the pan with parchment paper, but the bars came out easily when the pan was simply greased.
- One recipe tester made these cookies dairy-free and took them to a party, where they disappeared. To do so, use your favorite dairy-free chocolate chip and vegan butter. When baking, I’ve had good success with Miyoko’s plant milk butter.
Easy assembly: The crust is pressed evenly into the bottom of the pan, but note that 1½ cups of the crumb mixture is reserved for use as a topping after the jam and chocolate chips are added.
We’d love to know if you try this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated.
Holiday Raspberry Chocolate Bars
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (317g) all-purpose flour (may use GF cup-for-cup alternative)
- 1 cup (192g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup finely chopped pecans or pecan meal
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, diced
- 1 (12-ounce) jar seedless raspberry jam
- 1⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a 13″ x 9″ baking pan.
- Mix the flour, sugar, pecans, and eggs in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles course crumbs. Set aside 1½ cups of the crumb mixture.
- Press the remaining mixture over the bottom of pan to form a crust.
- Stir jam to soften; carefully spread over the crumb mixture.
- Sprinkle with the semi-sweet chocolate chips.
- Crumble reserved crumb mixture over top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until crumbs are golden brown.
- Cool completely, cut, and serve.
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