Layered bars have a cookie bottom topped with raspberry sauce, chocolate chips, and cookie crumbles. Since they are made in a pan and cut into cookie triangles after baking, they are fast and easy to make. Perfect for parties, showers, or fancy teas. If you cannot handle the raspberry seeds, they may be strained out.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnnamon
- 1 cup butter, at room temperature
- 1 (10 ounces) box frozen raspberries in light syrup, thawed and undrained
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil.Whisk together flour, sugar, and cinnamon until evenly mixed. Cut in butter with a dinner fork until mixture is the texture of large crumbs. Remove 1 cup and reserve for topping. Press remaining crumbs into the bottom of the repared baking pan with a spatula or your fingers to make a smooth even layer. Bake 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place thawed raspberries with syrup and orange juice into a small saucepan. Add cornstarch and sugar. Heat, stirring constantly, until bubbles begin to form around the edge. Cook for 1 minute, continuing to stir until thickened. (If you do not want seeds, strain now.) Let cool for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle miniature chocolate chips evenly over the bottom crust. Carefully spoon the raspberries evely over the chocolate chips. Sprinkle reserved dough crumbles over the top. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 1 hour to set chocolate. Cut into 24 squares, then cut each square corner to corner into triangles. Serve at room temperature.
Yield: 48 triangle cookie bars
Photo © 2006 Peggy Trowbridge, licensed to About.com, Inc.
