Raspberry-filled Chocolate Bars

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups chocolate chips (vanilla milk chips)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam or 1/2 cup raspberry spreadable fruit
• 1/4-1/2 cup sliced almonds
• additional chocolate chips, to melt for dipping (optional)

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 325°f.
• 2 grease and flour 9-inch square pan. cover bottom with parchment paper.
• 3 melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. remove from heat.
• 4 add 1 cup of the chocolate chips. let stand--do not stir (you don't want chips to melt completely).
• 5 in large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. gradually add sugar, beating at high speed until lemon-colored.
• 6 stir in chocolate chip mixture.
• 7 add flour, salt and almond extract; mix at low speed until just combined.
• 8 spread half (about 1 cup) of batter in greased and floured pan.
• 9 bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
• 10 stir remaining 1 cup chocolate chips into remaining half of batter; set aside.
• 11 melt spreadable fruit in small saucepan over low heat. spread evenly over warm, partially baked crust. (it is important to warm fruit so it is thin enough to spread easily into thin, even layer).
• 12 gently spoon teaspoonfuls of remaining batter over fruit spread. be careful--if you try to spread batter around too much you will stir up the fruit layer. (it is ok for some fruit to show through batter).
• 13 sprinkle with almonds.
• 14 return to oven and bake an additional 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 15 cool completely. carefully invert pan on cutting board. remove parchment paper and trim off all edges with serrated knife.
• 16 cut into 1 x 2-inch rectangles.
• 17 if desired, you can make them extra special by dipping in additional melted chocolate chips.
• 18 pick up each bar with a toothpick inserted at a slight angle on top. (when toothpick is removed, hole is barely noticeable). dip into chocolate just until raspberry layer (halfway up) is covered with chocolate.
• 19 set on waxed paper to cool.