Friday, May 27, 2011

Back to school raspberry granola bars and my (many) obsessions

Back to school raspberry granola bars / Barrinhas de granola e geléia de framboesa

I’m someone who obsesses with certain things from time to time – directors, actors, music, you name it. And food, of course. I obsessed with Ralph Fiennes so badly after “Schindler’s List” that I had to watch each and every film with him – and that led me to Kathryn Bigelow’s “Strange Days” (which is far better than “The Hurt Locker”, imho). Did I mention I was about 17 back then? Well. ;)

It might seem that I’m on a cake kick right now, but I’ve been really thinking about bars lately – and these are the ones to blame. They were so irresistible – and easy to make, despite the layers – that a search for great bars has begun, and the granola ones you see on the picture can certainly be part of the bar hall of fame: they were so good I almost did not share them. :)

Back to school raspberry granola bars / Barrinhas de granola e geléia de framboesa

Back to school raspberry granola bars
from The Craft of Baking

¾ cup (168g/1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup (110g) pecans, roughly chopped
1 ½ cups (210g) all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups (143g) old fashioned rolled oats – I made a mistake and used 1 ½ cups (172g)
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (58g) light brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 20cm (8in) square baking pan, line it with foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides and butter the foil as well.
Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until lightly golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Cool the sheet completely on a wire rack.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and the cooled pecans. Pour in the melted butter and mix until well combined. Transfer about 2/3 of the mixture to the prepared pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan, forming a firmly packed layer. Using a spatula spread the preserves over the base. Evenly sprinkle the remaining dough over the preserves. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through, until the top is golden brown and fragrant, about 40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely. With the aid of the foil handles, carefully remove from the pan and cut into squares.
The bars can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Makes 16

11 comments:

  1. These look yummy and I love all the different textures going on. I bet the toasted pecans taste wonderful

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  2. I love raspberry flavoured granola bars, I'll definitely try this recipe, looks delicious! Have a great weekend!

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  3. When ever i make bars it never seems to work, these look so so good, and perfect squares too.

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  4. Damn addictive granola bars..

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  5. I ♥ Ralph, too Patricia! He should have won the oscar for schindler's list. I saw him as Hamlet on broadway in NY back in '96 and loved him in the English Patient. Enough Movie talk! ha! :) Your bars look perfect! I need to pull that book out---I love it but always forget about it until I see one of your posts! Cant wait to try these. Happy Sunday! xo

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  6. love the idea of mixing in raspberry jam here. i have a vegan/gluten free i usually stick with for granola bars that's super easy to customize. will have to give it a shot. :)

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  7. Wouah, I would love to make such delicious things...

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  8. these bars look delish! Do you think I could leave out the pecans (i'm allergic)????

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  9. Pam, I don't think that would work, sorry!

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  10. yum! They look so tasty.

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