Raspberry Blondie Bars

Photo by Michael Piazza / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Submitted by Donna Woelki of Stow, MA. She gets her copy of Edible Boston at Debra's Natural Gourmet in West Concord.
"Sweet-tart, bursting with juicy berries and creamy chocolate, this is one of my family's all-time favorite treats. I adapted this recipe from the Raspberry Pecan Blondie recipe in the August 2002 issue of Bon Appetit magazine—I am allergic to nuts, so I eliminated the pecans and added chocolate chips instead. I buy my raspberries from a variety of local farms, including Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard, MA and Applefield Farm in Stow, MA."

Makes 48 bars

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 17" x 13" jellyroll pan with two sheets of aluminum foil positioned crosswise so you can lift the blondies out easily when cooked. Generously butter and flour the foil-lined pan.

Sift the first 4 ingredients together and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended. Dollop the dough around the prepared pan and spread to cover the pan evenly. Sprinkle the raspberries and chocolate chips evenly over the dough.

Bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before peeling away the foil and cutting into 2-inch squares.

This recipe appeared in the Summer 2015 issue.