Gluten-Free Raisin Bars

As we sat around the tv last night watching Survivor, I got a hankering for something sweet. A cookie. A bar cookie.

After pausing the show (no way I am missing any Survivor!) I went into the kitchen to see what the cupboards held. Very little that would assist me in preparing a bar cookie – or any cookie for that matter.

No lemons or lemon juice so lemon bars were out. No chocolate chips, no coconut, just not much of anything. But I did have raisins. And in the back of my mind, I recalled seeing a recipe for raisin bars somewhere in my childhood.

So I grabbed an ancient cookbook and thumbed through it. And there they were. Raisin Bars. A not-to-sweet, autumn cookie bar that looked perfect. And most importantly, I had all the ingredients.

They were a major success. Light and slightly chewy and doubly delicious when eaten today. Of course, the recipe required a bit of tweaking so here is my version. Easy and quick. Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Raisin Bars
makes 13×9 pan

1 cup hot water
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter (or shortening if avoiding dairy)
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375F and grease 13×9 baking dish.

Place raisins in hot water and either heat on stovetop or in microwave until water is nearly boiling. Add butter and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

Add remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Pour in water/raisin/butter mixture and beat until smooth and well mixed.

Pour into greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. dust with powdered sugar (optional) and let stand 30 minutes.

Cut into slices and enjoy!

You can add nuts to this if desired. You’ll never find nuts in any dish I create – can’t stand the little buggers…