Part 1 of "12 days of great recipes and easy craft projects" Raspberry Cookie Bars

Awe, the holiday season is upon us and everyone is looking for quick and easy recipes and projects to do.  For this holiday season my gift to you is my "12 days of great recipes and easy craft projects" to hopefully help make everyone's holiday season a little tastier, easier and merrier! Everyone (even I) could use some great tips, recipes and easy projects to get them through the hussle and bussle of the holiday season.  Whether you work outside the home, volunteer or have friends and family coming by you need to have some tasty, quick and easy cookie recipes that you can whip up with little stress or effort. Here's one that fits the bill for all of the above!

My Raspberry Cookie Bars are just the ticket for easy holiday entertaining, cookie exchanges or the office potluck. They check off all the boxes, they're pretty, they're tasty, low cost AND easy!  What more could you want at this busy time of year?

To make these awesome cookie bars you will need:
1 large and 1/2 of a small tube of Sugar Cookie Dough - or you could make you own from scratch
1 to 1 1/4 cups of Raspberry Preserves or Jam (or your favorite flavor)
1/2 to 3/4 cup sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Chocolate chips or melting wafers and/or 1/2 cup White Chocolate chips or melting wafers
Shortening (I use Crisco)

1 deep sided cookie/baking sheet lined with foil that extends over the ends a few inches
Non-stick Baking spray

To prepare -- pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F, line cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick baking spray.

Open the large tube of dough and press out over foil lined and sprayed cookie sheet.  ** it helps to dip your fingers in a little flour to keep them from sticking to the dough.

 

Stir up Preserves or jam too loosen any clumps and make it easier to spread, with the back of a spoon spread over the prepared cookie dough.

 Next sprinkle the sliced Almonds over the preserves,

now using the 1/2 of the small tube of cookie dough, drop small bits of dough over preserve and Almond layers, making sure to leave open areas of the preserves showing. *** again I do find it easier to do this when I dip my finger tips in a little flour as the dough tends to be a little sticky.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until top bits of dough and edges are lightly browned.  Let cool completely.

 

 Now you could cut them up and serve them at this point or you could go just a little farther and really make them decadent.  I like to melt some chocolate chips in the microwave, 1 minute first, stir and 30 second intervals - stirring after each until melted, adding about 1 teaspoon Crisco or your favorite shortening (do not use butter) and stirring it into the chocolate to thin it so you can then drizzle it over the cooled bars. Using a spoon scoop up some chocolate and hold it over the pan of cooled bars and with a zig zagging motion drizzle the thinned chocolate over the bars, keep repeating with spoonfuls of chocolate until desired coverage is complete.  You can do all chocolate, all white chocolate - as I did below, or a combo of both - which is really decadent looking.

After you've drizzled your bars, let the chocolate cool and harden. BUT WAIT - (I feel like an info commercial, lol) don't throw out that extra chocolate.  Pour it out onto a piece of wax paper, let it harden and then put in a zipper bag or airtight container and save it for the next time you need a little decadent chocolate drizzle.  You could also chop it up and use it in chocolate chip cookies or another recipe like a bark -- shhh I may be posting some easy to make bark recipes later.

Then by pulling up the extended ends of the foil, lift the bars from the pan and place on a cutting board or surface.

I always trim about 1/2 an inch of the edge away from the bars and then cut into squares, diamonds or wedges.  I think it gives a prettier presentation and I get what I call the cooks portion to nibble on, my daughter says that's the best part.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some of my and my family's favorite quick and easy recipes and craft/decorating projects.  I hope you all will try them and please let me know what you thought of the recipe or craft project.  Cooking and crafting are my passions and getting to share them with others is just an additional joy to me. I really hope you try these delicious and easy cookie bars and let me know how they turned out for you!  Happy Holidays to all!