These raspberry squares are the berry cousin of lemon bars: bursting with fresh and slightly tart raspberries, they’re beautifully colorful, fruity, and just sweet enough.
For the crust: Combine flour, ground pecan nuts, powdered sugar, cornstarch and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add the oil and butter. Using a fork or your fingertips, blend into the flour mixture until evenly combined. The mixture should be a little crumbly. Firmly press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake until just barely beginning to brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes.
For the filling: While the crust is baking, combine raspberries and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the fruit is very soft and mostly broken down, 4 to 6 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the seeds. Pour the strained juice into a measuring cup. You need 1 cup strained juice; remove any extra or add a little water if you are short. Stir in lemon juice.
Whisk granulated sugar, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Whisk in eggs. Stir in the juice mixture, pouring it slowly into the egg mixture while beating constantly. Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake until just set, 15 to 20 minutes. (The center should still be a little jiggly—it will firm up as it cools.) Let cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack, about 1½ hours. Gently slide a sharp knife along the edges of the pan that are not covered with parchment paper, and lift out of the pan all in one piece using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into 9 squares.
SERVING: Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired, just before serving.
STORAGE: Keep remaining squares in an airtight container (in a single layer) in the fridge and eat within 3 days.
MAKE IT DAIRY-FREE: Use vegan butter or margarine instead of regular butter in the crust.
Recipe Credit: Marie Asselin, FoodNouveau.com. Adapted from a recipe by Eating Well Magazine.
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