Raspberry White Chocolate Bars
A coworker's mother gave me this gem of a recipe a few years back. I can never decide what's more appealing—the attractive look of the bars or their incredible aroma while they're baking! Everyone who tries these asks for the recipe.
A coworker's mother gave me this gem of a recipe a few years back. I can never decide what's more appealing—the attractive look of the bars or their incredible aroma while they're baking! Everyone who tries these asks for the recipe.
- Carbohydrate 88.6841767258166 g
- Cholesterol 545.012500155467 mg
- Fat 62.6711283927568 g
- Fiber 3.80241668860561 g
- Protein 22.0533600084907 g
- Saturated Fat 32.8096108706004 g
- Serving Size 1 1 dozen. (326g)
- Sodium 15231.7488748645 mg
- Sugar 84.881760037211 g
- Trans Fat 5.43678933769394 g
- Calories 1003 calories
Step-by-step
- In a small saucepan, melt butter. Remove from the heat; add 1 cup chips (do not stir). In a small bowl, beat eggs until foamy; gradually add sugar. Stir in chip mixture and almond extract. Combine flour and salt; gradually add to egg mixture just until combined.
- Spread half of the batter into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 325degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a small saucepan, melt jam over low heat; spread over warm crust. Stir remaining chips into the remaining batter; drop by spoonfuls over the jam layer. Sprinkle with almonds.
- Bake 30-35 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.
Balancing Preserved Fruit and Baking Fats
Melting white baking chips directly into warm butter requires careful temperature control, because cocoa butter and milk solids scorch easily above 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Adding the chips off the heat allows residual thermal energy to soften them without seizing the sugar. Swapping seedless raspberry jam for fresh berries alters the moisture balance significantly; fresh raspberries release excess water during the second 35-minute bake, which can lead to a soggy center. The seedless jam provides concentrated pectin and sugar, creating a stable fruit layer that adheres cleanly to the partially baked bottom crust. Almond extract contains volatile aromatic compounds that amplify the perception of sweetness, so measuring precisely with a 1-teaspoon limit prevents chemical bitterness from overpowering the delicate dairy notes in the white chocolate.
Managing Crumb Structure and Layering
Beating two large eggs until foamy introduces mechanical aeration into the batter, which acts as the primary rising agent since chemical leaveners are absent from the flour and salt mixture. Folding the dry ingredients into the egg base just until combined prevents gluten over-development; excessive stirring produces tough, rubbery bars rather than a tender crumb. Spreading precisely half of the batter into a greased 9-inch square baking pan establishes a sturdy base layer that supports the heavy jam without collapsing. Dropping the remaining batter by spoonfuls over the warm jam layer ensures the top crust floats rather than sinking entirely into the fruit, resulting in a distinct visual separation of layers upon cooling on a wire rack.
