Raspberry Chocolate Bars — made on sundays

I’ve recently learned that I really like Raspberries. It’s not like they were something I would stay away from, but they were never something I really gave any appreciation to, let alone chose over any other fruit or jam. Ever since I made a Raspberry Drizzle for my Vegan Rainbow Cookie Milkshake I happened to make some Raspberry Jam & ended up with far more than I thought I would need, so I wanted to turn it into a recipe of it’s own. And so, these Raspberry Chocolate Bars were born. They’re perfect for a dessert or even as a breakfast pastry.

The base layer is a semi-sweet chocolate ‘pie crust’, the center layer is - of course - the Raspberry Jam & finally, a crumbly oat topping to add a little extra layer of fun for good measure. They’re easily stored, ate with a cup of tea, or packaged up to drop off for a socially distanced, Holiday greeting. How ever you choose to enjoy them, I hope you like them as much as I do.

Ingredients

**Base) Chocolate Crust:**
1 cup Flour
1.5 tbs Cocoa
2 tbs Sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup + 1 tbs Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Oat Milk (or regular milk)
1/4 tsp Coffee Extract
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
**Center)** 1 cup Raspberry Jam
**Top) Oat Crumble**
1/2 cup Oats
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Vegan Butter (or regular butter)
1 tsp Cinnamon

Raspberry Chocolate Bars by Made on Sundays 3

For the Chocolate Crust:
Sift the dry ingredients together - the Flour, Cocoa, Salt & Baking Powder.

Whisk the wet ingredients - the Sugar, Olive Oil, Oat Milk (or regular milk), Coffee Extract & Vanilla Extract

Combine all ingredients and mix until a dough is formed.

Place dough in a 9”x9” baking pan lined with parchment paper. Flatten the mixture so it is about 1/4” high. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.

Once chilled, add fork marks throughout the layer and bake at 350° for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

While the base layer is cooling, make the Oat Crumble.
Combine the Oats, Flour, Sugar, Cinnamon & melted Butter to a bowl & mix until fully combined. The texture should resemble wet sand. You should be able to form little balls with your hands when you press the mixture together.

Assembly:
Spread a thin layer of Raspberry Jam across the entire top of the crust.

Sprinkle the crumble to cover the Raspberry Jam fully.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool before cutting into squares and store, package or serve!

Yields: 12 Bars