Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars - Church PotLuck Dessert

Oh boy these are good!

And almost healthy... A full pound of fruit, plenty of colon cleansing oats.

The texture is soft and chewy, with the cream cheese fruit filling practically melting the usually hard oat/sugar mix.  Could be the perfect bar.

But honestly it's the taste.  Rich seasonal raspberries, sweetened with sugary cream cheese, all wrapped with an almost brownie like base and crunchy oat topping.


Keep scrolling down for this easy to follow recipe...

OK, Here's what I did....

Raspberry Cream Cheese Bars

Ingredients

• 1 Pound Fresh Raspberries
• 3 TBS Sugar
• 3 TBS Raspberry Jam
• 3/4 Cup Butter, Softened to room temperature
• 1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1-1/2 Cups Flour
• 1-1/2 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 (8 Oz each) Package Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/4 Cup Sugar

Cooking Directions

1. In a large Saute Pan over medium heat, add the fresh raspberries and 3 TBS each sugar and raspberry Jam. Stir occasionally for about 20 minutes until the raspberries have mostly liquefied. Remove from heat and cool
2. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 13x9 baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar. add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and stir well.
4. Press 3/4ers of the oat mixture into the greased pan, reserving a generous cup for the topping.
5. Bake the crust at 350 for 10 minutes.
6. While the crust is baking, beat the egg, sugar and cream cheese in a bowl with a mixer on low speed until well mixed.
7. When the crust comes out of the oven spread with the cream cheese mixture. Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese mixture and swirl with a spatula.
8. top with a thin payer of the remaining oat mixture
9. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Cool before cutting and serving.
10. Store in the refrigerator, serve chilled and ENJOY!

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of  "52 Ways to Cook COOKIE, BARS and TRUFFLES"!!!

Old school like classic criss cross peanut butter to new takes on interesting recipes like a beautiful Red Velvet with the cream cheese mixed inside the cookie, accented with white chocolate chips!  Even a Pineapple Cream Cheese EASY Bar with only 5 ingredients! 

Stop on by, there's always a new cookie in the cookie jar!

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This recipe has also been added to my growing list of
"52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...


Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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