things that taste good thursday

birthday donuts.

can't think of a better way to start my birthday!

thank you amanda!

raspberry bars

i am warning you.

so don't say i didn't warn you.

these raspberry bars are not laced with crack, i swear.

you'd think they were, given how addictive they are.

i spent superbowl weekend in a cute beachside village in NJ with some friends, and my pal spencer's mom sent these up with him. i love raspberry, so i ate one right away.

then i ate another one when nobody was looking.

the next morning when i woke up before everyone, i snuck another (or two).

see where i'm going with this?

again, don't say i didn't warn you.

many thanks to spencer & mrs. s for sharing this recipe!

first you'll need to chop some pecans.  i used the glazed pecan pie kind.

they are sweet and delicious.

i don't like big nuts (that's what she said) so i put them in my 

mini food processor and pulsed until the pecans were small bits.

ok, so now you'll want to get some softened butter and sugar in a large bowl

 and mix well.

add flour

mix well.

add the chopped pecans...

1/4 tsp of almond extract...

{a little goes a long way}

and salt.

mix well. it should look and smell like a crumbly bowl of heaven.

reserve 1 heaping cup of the goodness.

press the remainder into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish.

it's ok to be a badass and use your hands.

i think the fingerprints add a nice touch

get it?  nice touch. see what i did there?

get a cup of seedless raspberry preserves

(my jar of preserves was a little less than a cup)

spread evenly over the crust.

now get your reserved cup of the dry mixture

and sprinkle evenly over the preserves.

delightful.

i wish i could be thumbelina for a day so i could lay down and/or frolic in this.

bake at 350 for 25 minutes. it should be slightly golden, like this.

let this delicious wonderland cool completely

cut into squares

... and devour maniacally

i'm supposed to bring these raspberry bars to an outdoor conert tonight.  i really hope they make it that long.

i'm tempted to eat one about every 5 minutes.

here's the recipe.  i'm going to go google self control techniques now.

enjoy!

raspberry bars.

ingredients

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup chopped pecans (or in my case, itty bitty pecan bits)

1 cup (8 oz) seedless raspberry perserves

method

in a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar

add flour, mix well

add almond extract, salt, and pecans. mix well.

mixture should resemble coarse crumbs.

reserve 1 heaping cup of dry mixture

press the rest into an ungreased 9x13-inch baking dish

spread preserves evenly over the crust

sprinkle reserved cup of mixture over the preserves

bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until  crust and topping are golden.

cool completely before slicing.