Raspberries – The First Sign of Summer

February 18, 2009

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.

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  • VeggieGirl February 18, 2009 at 9:20 am

    I cannot WAIT until berries are in season here – I miss my beloved summer fruit!!

    Love those Raspberry Oat Bars!!

  • Heather February 18, 2009 at 9:33 am

    ohhh yum. delicious!!

  • Mindy February 18, 2009 at 9:35 am

    Thanks for the tip on Bryant’s! It’ll be perfect berry-picking time when we return to KY in the summer!

  • Michelle February 18, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Summer? Did someone say summer? It’s about 30 degrees here in Boston but the sun! I CAN SEE THE SUN! 🙂

  • DelightfullyHealthy February 18, 2009 at 10:08 am

    Oh man, Spring can’t come fast enough! It’s been a hard winter here in the Northeast.

    This recipe sounds delicious! I have some frozen berries hanging out waiting for my husband to make oatmeal – maybe I’ll hijack them… Of course, there’s nothing better than right off the vine, warm from the sun. Lucky you!

  • lauren February 18, 2009 at 10:32 am

    a whole freezer door full?! lucky duck! and the bars look delish…

  • Daily Spud February 18, 2009 at 11:20 am

    I wish my freezer was full of raspberries, alas not, I’ll have to wait ’til summer… 🙂

  • Meg February 18, 2009 at 11:50 am

    Looks yummy! Loving the topping!

  • lesley February 18, 2009 at 12:20 pm

    Those look delicious!! I’m excited for summer and berries, yum!

  • Lori February 18, 2009 at 12:58 pm

    VeggieGirl – This post seems to be getting that response from everyone. Cheers to a quick arrival of summer!

    Heather – They are really good! It is such a great go-to recipe.

    Mindy – Definitely go there. You have to check their site before hand to make sure they are open. We came home with pounds last time! It’s so great to freeze them for the rest of the year too.

    Michelle – Ha, ha! It’s a crazy 60 here in IN/KY.

    Delightfully – I’d definitely suggest stealing them. 🙂

    lauren – I know! I gotta find some more recipes. I’ll gladly give you some if you want to stop by. 😉

    Daily Spud – How I wish I could share! 🙂

    Meg and lesley – They are quite tasty!

  • Tangled Noodle February 18, 2009 at 1:02 pm

    We have wild raspberries growing at the edge of our property. In early spring, I see them tiny and pale, and can’t wait for them to ripen. But, inevitably, the birds get to them first! Stupid birds.

    These bars look wonderful – I love how the raspberries are all melty and oozing summer-y goodness!

  • cathy February 18, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    Funny – for us, raspberries come at the end of summer. We have raspberry canes growing in our yard, and they are so tender and divine. We always have too many to eat out of hand. Your recipe looks delicious! I’ll have to save it for our extra berries in late summer!

  • laura February 18, 2009 at 4:02 pm

    Looks wonderful! I am going to save this recipe. Thank you!

  • Erica February 18, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! I made something like this with jam and it was incredible! I bet with homegrown berries its wayyy better!

  • luckytastebuds February 18, 2009 at 7:32 pm

    how awesome! i’ve only done these types of bars with whole jars of jam and not my own spreads with real fruit and it NEVER even occurred to me to do so!!! THanks for fabulous post and the inspiration. 🙂

  • Lori February 19, 2009 at 7:53 am

    Tangled Noodle – Birds are tough when it comes to getting raspberries. My Dad has configured all kinds of contraptions to keep them away. 🙂

    cathy – I’m not sure what variety they were, but we had some late bloomers this year too. It was nice to have them all season long.

    laura – Thanks. Hope it turns out well for you!

    Erica – I hadn’t thought of jam. That would be good if I ever get in a pinch and want to make some without berries. Even better would be jam made from the berries earlier in the summer. 🙂

    luckytastebuds – Thanks so much for stopping by with your comment. So glad I could help. 🙂 I like that I can leave a bit of tartness by using the real berries and adjusting my sweetener.

  • Caitlin February 19, 2009 at 9:42 am

    This recipe looks absolutely amazing, I can’t wait to try!

  • ChefBliss.com February 19, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    These look wonderful. We have so many local berries, I can’t wait! Thank you for visiting my blog too, hope your trip is going well.

  • Lori February 19, 2009 at 3:14 pm

    Caitlin – You’ll love it. It is one of my favorites.

    ChefBliss – Thanks. I am having a enjoyable time. I have to admit it is good to be back in the States when you are gone for a while.

  • Jolene February 19, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    oh my goodness this looks/sounds so GOOD!!! I love your recipes, I really want to try this one!

  • lovinmytummy February 20, 2009 at 2:01 am

    Yum…I actually have a similar blueberry oat bar recipe I made up, but threw a little soy protein powder in with the crust. Beefed those treats right up!

  • Lori February 20, 2009 at 7:46 am

    Jolene – Thanks! I’m so glad you like it. 🙂

    loveinmytummy – Thanks for you comment. There is a lot you can do with these to change the nutrition. I want to experiment more with them in the future.

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