When my husband and I married, as was tradition in my family, my sisters hosted a bridal shower for aunts and cousins. It was lovely, with delicious foods, fun and silly games. Seeing my mom and “the aunts” give stellar performances in the “dress the bride with toilet paper” game was priceless, and I cherish those photos many years later.
The best gift was the gift of family recipes. As part of the invitation, my sisters requested that each person send them two or three family favorite recipes ahead of the shower. The recipes were then assembled into an album that I cherish, especially now that my mom and all my aunts have passed. Over the years, I’ve made every single recipe gifted to me, 46 in all. But, there’s one recipe courtesy of my sister that really gets a workout, Nancy’s Raspberry Bars.
I’ve come to always keep a boxed cake mix, quick oats and jar of some sort of preserves in my pantry so I’m ready in a quick pinch to whip up an easy dessert. This recipe is easily made with any type preserve you like. You can also make it with different flavors of cake mix. I prefer to use preserves as they’re typically thicker than a jam or jelly. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family.
Nancy’s Raspberry Bars
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 1 C rolled oats
- ¾ C melted butter
- 1 jar raspberry preserves 18 oz
- 1 T water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350*. In a mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix, rolled oats and melted butter. Stir to combine well, ensuring mix is fully incorporated with the oats. It will be crumbly.
- Grease or spray a 9X13 pan. Press half of the cake mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan. In a separate bowl, combine raspberry preserves with water. Spread evenly on the bottom cake layer, allowing 1” from all sides of the pan.
- Crumble remaining cake mixture on top of raspberry layer and gently press into place.
- Bake at 350* for 17-20 minutes, or until the crumble top is nicely golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving so the preserves set up a bit.
*NOTE: because oven temperatures vary so much, I recommend keeping an eye on the bars once you hit the 15-minute mark. If you under-bake them, the bar won’t hold up to cutting and serving, and it’ll be more like a pile of crumble. If you overbake them, not only will the crust be tough but the preserves will get like a stiff glue. Remember, too, that they’ll keep cooking just a bit once you pull them from the oven.
Oh my, I may put on a few pounds…
They don’t last long here…my husband eats them right out of the pan!