Raspberries – The First Sign of Summer

For a long as I can remember raspberries have represented a preview of all that is to come of summer produce. Among the blackberry bushes that line my parent’s property, there were always a few raspberry plants. While I would have to wait until mid-summer for the blackberries, the raspberries ripened for just a few weeks in the spring to early summer.

It was a quick harvest and I often ate more off the vine than we actually brought into the house for baking. However short lived, though, they always marked the start of the garden bounty.

A few days after I arrived back in the States for this visit I was given the challenge of using up some of the frozen raspberries that are taking up space in my parent’s freezer. You see, this past summer my Dad decided to experiment with new varieties of raspberries and more plants that peak at different parts of the season.

The raspberries were falling off the vine from spring through early autumn. I’m not complaining, I loved it during my visits. However, after giving away what they could and selling some at the local farmer’s market, the rest ended up in multiple bags in the freezer. We are talking a whole freezer door full!

Well, I took up my raspberry challenge last night and turned to one of my favorite recipes. This recipe comes from the web-site of Bryant’s Blueberries which is located just outside of Louisville, KY. If you are ever in the area, stop by. This place makes for a fun u-pick afternoon.

I’ve played with this recipe on several occasions using different berries and this time I, of course, used raspberries. I made it according to instructions, but by substituting unprocessed sugar, honey or maple syrup and whole grain flour it would be easy to turn these into more of an energy bar than a dessert.

These bars were often my go-to item when I took treats into my office. They are incredibly simple, incorporate fresh ingredients and everyone always loves them.

Raspberry Oat Bars
Modified from Blueberry Oat Bars, Bryant’s Blueberries New Salisbury, IN

Crust
1 ¾ cups old fashioned oats
1 ½ cups flour
¾ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

Fruit Filling
2 cups fresh or defrosted raspberries
½ cup sugar (I usually cut this way back for sweet berries)
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the crust ingredients and mix well until crumbly. Reserve ¾ cup of the mixture and set aside. Press the remaining mixture into an 11×7 inch baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Combine the fruit, sugar and 2 tbsp of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer, covered, for about 2 minutes. Stir to break up berries. Mix the remaining water, cornstarch and juice. Pour into the berries and cook about 30 seconds or until thickened.

Pour the berries onto the crust leaving about a ¼ inch of crust around the edges. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the fruit. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until edges are browned. Cool and cut into bars.