Raisin Ribbon Bars

This old-fashioned recipe for Raisin Ribbon Bars is an all-time favorite and for very good reason.

It makes delicious bar cookies - flavored with raisins, walnuts and your favorite jam or preserves - with minimal time and effort.

They are appropriately named too since the layer of fruit preserves that is mixed with raisins forms a sweet "ribbon" of delicious flavor through these bars.

We like strawberry rhubarb, red currant, blackberry or plum jams, but fee free to experiment with your favorite flavors.

You can also use white or golden raisins, or 'sultanas' (which are more popular outside the United States and are made from from seedless yellow grapes), or a mixture of golden and the more common dark raisins.

Your bars will taste better if better quality ingredients are used, so splurge a little on a high quality preserve or jam and raisins!

Raisin Ribbon Bars

Raisin Ribbon Bars Recipe

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats (not instant)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup high quality jam or preserves, any flavor

Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Lightly grease 8-inch square baking pan or alternatively, for easy removal and cleanup, line your pan with foil and grease the foil; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until mixed.
Stir in flour, oats and walnuts.
Reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping.
Press remaining mixture into the prepared pan.
In a small bowl, stir together raisins and jam.
Spread jam mixture over oat layer to within 1/2 inch of the pan's edges.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture evenly over the jam and raisin layer and pat it down gently.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and cool pan completely on wire rack.
Cut into desired size bars.