Chocolate Raspberry Almond Bars

Is it really already the middle of August??

Time flies! M is back at school and I'll be off in a week as well...if only we could bake all summer and not have to deal with actual brain work!

It's actually kind of weird trying to pack up everything you have and moving hours away from home sweet home.

Since I won't have a kitchen or an oven this next year, I'll have to try my hand at some microwave-baking...interesting, right? I have my eye on some interesting recipes like granola, cookies, and even coffeecake in a mug! Never fear, recipes/success(fail) stories will ensue!

But enough of this nostalgic mood! Recently at a family and friends' barbecue, M and I made this yummy treat to end the night.

It's a mix of sweet and tart and yummy goodness. Interested? Read on!

First cut in the butter...

Spread the jam...

Make the topping...

Spread around... and bake!

A side note, when baking this, I accidentally forgot to add the almond extract and egg. The written recipe never said when to add these two! Despite this mistake, the bars still turned out deeee-licious! 

Recipe (from a family friend)

2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter

1 egg beaten

1 tsp almond extract

1 cup seedless red raspberry jam

2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped almonds (or shaved almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, egg, almond extract, and sugar together, and add in softened butter till moistened.

Remove and set aside 1 cup of the dough just made.

Press the remainder of the dough into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Spread jam evenly over dough bottom.

Combine the saved cup of dough with chocolate chips and chopped almonds. Mix well.

Sprinkle over the layer of jam, and press down to create even scattering.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool for 10 min. then cut into squares while still warm. Cool until ready to eat!

Enjoy!

There are huge amounts of cooking shows out there, but this article caught my eye.  In a episode of MasterChef Australia, the Dalai Lama stopped by! I thought it was particularly touching that despite being a "guest judge" he said, "As a Buddhist monk, I have no right to prefer this food to that food. Anything I am offered, I must accept." 


Here's a video clip...

Linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies