Raisin Bars (Aunt Mae)

An old-fashioned family recipe for soft, warmly spiced raisin bars flavored with cinnamon, cloves and allspice. The raisins are simmered first, and their flavorful cooking liquid becomes part of the batter.

Raisin Bars

Servings: About 24 bars
Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20–25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup shortening
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 cup reserved raisin cooking liquid

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a jelly roll pan.
2. Combine the raisins and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Cook until the liquid has reduced to approximately 1 cup.
3. Drain the raisins, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and allow both to cool.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Beat in the egg.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the reserved raisin liquid, mixing until combined.
7. Fold the cooked raisins into the batter.
8. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared jelly roll pan.
9. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the center is set.
10. Cool before cutting into bars.

Denver High-Altitude Adjustments (5,280 feet):

• Increase the oven temperature from 350°F to 365°F.
• Reduce the sugar slightly, from 1 cup to ⅞ cup (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons).
• Reduce the baking soda from 1 teaspoon to ¾ teaspoon.
• Keep the full 1 cup raisin liquid; the additional moisture is helpful at altitude.
• Begin checking for doneness at about 17–18 minutes to avoid drying out the bars.

Tip: Aunt Mae’s original instructions don't explicitly say when to add the cooked raisins back to the batter, but since they're listed as an ingredient, I would fold them in after the flour and raisin liquid have been incorporated.

Source: Aunt Mae’s Recipe