Raspberry Oat Squares

These look good, they taste good and they do you good too. Yes, really – fruit and oats are very healthy. Sugar and butter? Well, in moderation they’re OK. And we all know how essential chocolate is for our mental well-being, don’t we?

Makes: 16 squares

Time: About 45 minutes + cooling time

Level: Moderately easy

Equipment: 1 x 20cm/8” square tin

Ingredients

150g/5.5oz butter or Stork or a mixture
115g/4oz self-raising flour
175g/6oz caster sugar
225g/8oz porridge oats (+some reserve in case the mix is a bit wet.)
3g or 4g freeze dried raspberries (optional, but worth having)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp raspberry extract (optional, don’t worry if you don’t have any.)
75g/2.5oz fresh raspberries
150g/5.5oz – 175g/6oz white chocolate
2 food colours (Not water based. I like the Colour Splash range)
Any sprinkles or similar decoration (optional again)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line the tin, leaving at least two sides above the tin to help lift out the bake.

2. Melt the butter. (Pop it in the oven or use microwave – short blasts)

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, oats and freeze dried raspberries, if using. Add in the beaten egg, raspberry extract (if using) and melted butter. Also break up the fresh raspberries and add them in. Mix well and then decide whether or not to add the extra oats.

4. Tip the mixture into the tin and spread evenly, then bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Cool in the tin.

5. (Before beginning this stage you need to set out all your equipment in a logical way to avoid any wasted time once the chocolate has melted.) Melt the white chocolate in a bain marie. Working quickly, pour most of the chocolate onto the cooled bake and tip the tin back and forth until the whole surface is evenly covered.

6. Pour half the remaining chocolate into a small dish, return the main bowl to the bain marie to keep the final chocolate melted. (You can turn the heat down or off) Add colour to the white chocolate in the small bowl and spoon it over the surface using a quick flicking action to avoid big blobs. Then colour the remaining white chocolate and repeat as above.

7. Gently drag the point of a cocktail stick over the coloured chocolate to create an attractive feathered effect. Before the chocolate has cooled, add any sprinkles and the reserved raspberries, either halved or whole. Place in the fridge until firm. Use a hot knife to cut into 16 squares: 4×4.

I hope you make and enjoy this tasty tray bake. Click this link for lots more traybake recipes, or have a look at the rest of my site for other great sweet and savoury recipes. If you’d like to make a comment or ask a question please do, via the contact page.

Here are three of my most popular tray bakes that you may like a lot:

Coffee and Walnut Blondies