Raspberry Bars

These are the BEST raspberry bars.  A ton of butter and berries!  This is the first thing we make when the berries are ripe.  And then it's hard to make anything else (but Smitten's berry cheesecake galette is usually a must too).  This recipe is inspired by Cook's Illustrated but simplified a bit and with increased berries, of course!

Raspberry Bars

2 1/2 cups flour (we like a mix of whole wheat and white)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, room temp

1/4 cup dark brown sugar (or white sugar with molasses)
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely, optional
2 tablespoons butter

1 cup raspberry preserves
1 cup or more fresh raspberries (or blackberries)
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (you could also make a foil, parchment paper sling here).

Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor or stand mixer.  Add butter, a bit at a time, until mixture resembles damp sand.  Remove 1 1/4 cups of the "sand" from the processor and put in a large measuring cup.  Set that aside for the topping in a bit.  Spread the remaining "sand" into the bottom of your baking dish.  Press it into an even layer.  Bake it for 15 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to brown.

While the crust is baking, return the reserved sand to the food processor, and add brown sugar, oats and nuts to the reserved "sand" and mix it lightly just till the butter is incorporated.  Set this aside.

Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in small bowl; mash with a fork until roughly and lightly combined.

Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle the topping evenly over filling by grabbing handfuls of it, squeezing, then crumbling.  Some will be large, marble sized, others will be smaller.  Return pan to the oven and bake until topping is a deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 24 minutes. This is the trickiest part, cool it on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours!  Cut them into squares.