I’ve always preferred making bars instead of cookies, takes less effort and time and tastes just as good. So I was pleased to find a recipe for raspberry bars (my favorite berry) that I think came out pretty good with revamping.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease a 9×9″ baking dish being sure to grease at least a 1/2 inch up the sides. Combine in a food processor:
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup brown rice flour
3 tablespoons potato starch
2 tablespoons tapioca flour
1/3 cup date sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
Pulse until blended. Add by spoonfuls:
2/3 cup shortening or vegan margarine
Pulse until combined and mixture forms pea like bits (it looks a lot like pastry crust. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture to a small bowl. Press the remaining mix into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared baking dish.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. While it’s baking, stir into the 1/2 cup of mix reserved:
2 tablespoons date sugar
1/4 cup hemp hulls (or any seed your family likes such as pumpkin or sunflower, chopped)
1/4 cup gluten-free old-fashioned oats
Set aside. In another small bowl mix:
1 cup sugar-free raspberry jam
1 cup fresh raspberries
zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Stir together, breaking up some of the raspberries, until combined. Spread this over the top of the hot crust when it’s comes out of the oven. Sprinkle the reserved flour/hemp/oat mixture over the top of the raspberries. Bake another 20-25 minutes until the top has browned and the filling is starting to bubble. Cool on a cooling rack and then in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before cutting into squares.
TIP: I left the other half of the bars in the baking dish, covered them and left them in the refrigerator overnight and they came out of the dish much cleaner the next day, keeping more of the bottom layer intact.
cookingwithoutallergens 