Raspberry oatmeal bars

I wanted to make some treats for a couple of good friends the other day.  One of them recently moved back after three years across the pond so we were excited to be able to meet back up again like we used to.  I decided to bake whole wheat chocolate chip cookies (one of my favorite recipes) and these raspberry oatmeal bars.

I think I was the main beneficiary of this bake because the house just smelled amazing as these bars baked and cooled!  Just think...butter, brown sugar, toasted oats, and candied raspberry all swirling together in the warm air.  It was intoxicating and I was honestly content to just enjoy that aroma.

This was easy and fun to make.  I took the Pioneer Woman's strawberry oatmeal bars but used raspberry jam instead.  I popped open a jar of Stonewall Kitchen's seedless raspberry jam - one of the things I picked up from their main company store in York, Maine when we visited a while back.  Shopping in that bright cheerful store was a whole lot of fun!

There are just basic ingredients and components making up these raspberry oatmeal bars.  Take a big bowl and stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, and a couple of other dry ingredients, then cut in butter.  This becomes the base and top layer of the bars while a layer of the raspberry jam goes in between.  Pop it in the oven and magically, you have this aromatic, sweet and buttery treat.  The darker, crusty golden edges were my favorite part.

I baked the bars in a 9-inch pan instead of the 9x13 suggested in the recipe because they looked thin in the larger pan and I noticed a couple of comments about a smaller pan working better.  I don't know about you but I prefer some height in a bar.  I settled for my 9-inch square pan and I'm glad I did because the bars ultimately ended up being about 1-inch thick and that was just what I was looking for.  

There's a lot of sweetness going on here so it's a real treat.  I love the old-fashioned oats giving the bars plenty of chew and substance while the raspberry jam just livens things up. 

I packed up most of these bars for my friends but I had a few left, which I saved mainly for my hubby, who enjoyed them immensely.  I certainly hope the treats put a little smile on my friends' faces.  I think cooking and baking for people is such a joy and a great way to show you care.  I came home with cookies and goodies of my own from my generous friends and I can assure you I had a smile on my face and felt the love... 

Chocolate raspberry layer cake

Today, let's step into the world of sweets in a more serious way.  I know no better way to do that than with chocolate cake.  I may have been a purist in the past; by that, I mean I never wanted to mix my chocolate desserts with fruit.  But lately, I'd been craving the combination of chocolate and raspberries.  This chocolate raspberry layer cake was my way of fixing that craving.

This 6-inch cake is a pretty straightforward one.  There are two layers of moist chocolate cake (that's prepared without even using the mixer), joined together with seedless raspberry jam and dark chocolate ganache.  I simplified the recipe I worked off of and the cake came together as I ran errands and went about my day.  

Dark chocolate ganache, seedless raspberry jam and fresh raspberries for the cake

The whole cake is lovingly covered with chocolate ganache and simply garnished with a handful of fresh raspberries on top.  This cake definitely satisfied my chocolate-raspberry craving (and we know that cravings must be addressed eventually).  It's not complicated at all but I have to say that I'm always a little amazed when a cake comes together and that I made it from scratch, as simple as it might be.

There's seedless raspberry jam with ganache in the center and top layer of the cake

And a cake is just what I wanted to post here today because it's the 3rd anniversary of this little bumbling blog!  It's funny because for the first blog anniversary, I made a chocolate-hazelnut cake; the next year, it was another chocolate-hazelnut concoction - and both involved meringue!  Noticing the pattern after the fact, I decided to take a break from hazelnuts this year.  But, of course...it still had to be chocolate!

I almost can't believe I'm still chugging along after three years.  I have a lot of fun making the food and treats, then putting these posts together to share and stow away here.  It still feels like a little food diary of sorts but the chance to interact a little, and to learn from others who love food as much as I do, has been a huge perk.  This little blog continues to motivate me to try new things in the kitchen and I love all the learning that naturally happens. 

Thank you for spending a few minutes here sometimes.  I wish I could sit down and eat a slice of cake with many of you.