Raisin Squares (With a Hint of Orange)

My third nephew was born just a few days ago (!!!!!) and I decided to channel my excitement into a new tasty treat to bring to the hospital.  First, I have to tell you that my nephew is incredibly adorable and sweet!  Now that all of the important baby details are out of the way, we can move on to the cookies.  I know that there are two types of people in the world: raisin enjoyers and raisin detesters.

Hopefully you are in the enjoyer camp, but if you're not, I guess I can let it slide this once.  (We all have our own little shortcomings.)  Luckily I was going to visit some raisin enjoyers (and one detester), so all I had to do was write up a recipe, bake the bars, and head out the door for the much anticipated visit!

If you have an hour, you can have a batch made and have the kitchen cleaned.  The recipe might look a tad complicated since layers are involved, but it's really incredibly easy.  Besides being quick to make, they are also delicious.  There is a nice hint of orange from the crust, and as you chew, the crust dissolves away, leaving you with a nice burst of raisin flavor.  So, dig out your raisins and get started. Yum!

Notes:
If you're a raisin detester, I'm certain that this would taste amazing with some dried tart cherries (although I haven't tried it).  And, if you're astute, you'll notice that this recipe is basically a scaled down raisin (and nut-free) adaptation of Almond Apricot Bars, so apricots would work as well.  Also, if you don't have any wheat germ, just replace it with some all-purpose flour.  I used a mixture of raisins (1 cup) and currants (½ cup) when I made these.  You could use all raisins, all currants, or a mixture of both.  It is always easier to zest an orange before it is juiced, so you may want to zest the orange into a small dish for use in the crust and then juice it for the raisin mixture. 

Ingredients:
1½ cups raisins or currants (or a mixture)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
⅛ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup powdered sugar
zest of 1 orange (approximately 1 tablespoon)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Yields 24 ~2x1-inch bars

Cook, Process, Whisk, Cream, Mix, Press, Layer, Bake:
Place the oven rack in the middle level of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF.  Line an 8x8-inch pan with foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on two opposite sides, and set aside.  In a medium pan, combine the raisins (or currants), granulated sugar, and water.  Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the raisins have absorbed the majority of the water, and the remaining liquid is a lovely shade of amber and beginning to thicken (about 5-7 minutes).  Transfer the mixture and thickened juices to a food processor, add the orange juice, and process until the mixture is minced.  Set aside to cool.  In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat germ, and salt, and set aside.  In a separate large bowl, cream the butter with the powdered sugar.  Add the orange zest and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.  Stir in the flour until it is absorbed, but the mixture is still crumbly.  Set aside a quarter (¼) cup of the mixture to use as topping.  Dump the remaining crumbly mixture into the prepared 8x8-inch pan, and evenly compress it with your finger tips or the bottom of a glass.  Spread the cooled raisin mixture evenly over the bottom layer, and sprinkle the reserved quarter cup of the crumbly mixture over the top.  Place in the oven, and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes until the topping is golden brown, rotating the pan halfway through.  Once the bar is fully cooled, use the foil overhang to lift it out of the pan.  Use a sharp knife to cut the bar into rectangles and to lift each cookie off of the foil.  Store the cookies in an airtight container.

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