Sweet and spicy, soft & cakey bar cookies with a ribbon of raspberry jam or marmalade. Yum.
I love how cookies, brownies and bar cookies - especially old-fashioned ones- allow you to indulge you sweet tooth without blowing the calorie bank because they are naturally portion controlled.
A lot of the cookies, brownies and bars I like to make have from 3 to 5 PointsPlus values - not too bad for something so delicious. And always a lot better tasting than the stuff find in boxes, bags and cellophane packages at the supermarket.
If you are wondering how sweet treats fit into the Weight Watchers lifestyle, one of my favorite cookbook writers, Pam Anderson, sums it up perfectly in her book The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great, when she says,“The key to teatime goodies is to keep them small and flavorful. The more pronounced the flavor, the more satisfied you’ll be, and the less likely you are to cheat. Take away all it’s pleasures, and the body will bite back-hard!”
Isn't that the truth? Your body will not be denied. It's a living organism that naturally seeks pleasure and avoids pain. When you deprive it too long, you'll end up bingeing.
That's why I allow myself little indulgences - like these simple yummy old-fashioned bars - from time to time. I've only made them with raspberry jam so far. I'm a sucker for raspberry flavored baked goods and desserts and have several different recipes for raspberry bar cookies. This one comes from my old The Fannie Farmer Cookbook that I received for a wedding gift from my grandmother more than 25 years ago and is very different from the WW Skinny Raspberry Squares I made last weekend. Enjoy!
Jam or Marmalade Bars
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup raspberry jam or marmalade
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract with an electric mixer (affiliate link) on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg and beat until well blended.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine thoroughly.
- Divide the dough in half. Spread half in the bottom of the greased pan.
- Cover it with a layer of jam or marmalade. Drop the remaining dough by teaspoons over the jam and pat it down as best you can. (Don't worry if some jam is showing though.)
- Bake until golden and set, about 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into 16 bars.
Recipe Notes
Related Posts
Skinny Raspberry Squares Recipe - A simple shortbread crust with raspberry topping and only 3 WW PointsPlus Value
Simple Cookie Recipe for Soft Butter Jam Cookies - easy little cake-like cookie has just 49 calories and 1 WW PointsPlus Value
Banana Oatmeal Cookies - a great soft chewy cookie recipe with just 2 WW PointsPlus Value
Moist & Chewy Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars - a deliciously decadent bar cookie treat with a WW PointsPlus Value: 3
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