I love to bake cookies. Some cookies, I feel, are just for Christmas, like my gingerbread cookies, but there are a special few that I bake all year long. They are beautiful on a holiday tray and yet taste equally wonderful on a hot summer day with a big glass of iced tea. The red raspberry preserves in this recipe shines through so they look pretty on a Christmas tray, yet the raspberry flavor shouts summer. Raspberry Shortbread Bars are a favorite of mine and are great all year long.

I baked a batch last week to take to our annual picnic at Powell Gardens. It was a fun gathering of friends and family on a beautiful summer evening and we enjoyed a great fireworks display and outdoor symphony concert. These cookies were the perfect dessert for the picnic.

I found the recipe on Chow.com and instantly loved it. That recipe was baked in a springform pan and cut into wedges. The wedges were fun and looked beautiful on a serving plate, but to me, summer calls for easy to serve bars. Also not everyone I know owns that large springform pan, yet everyone I know wants to bake them. I began testing the recipe, reduced the baking time so it did not over brown and discovered it worked well in a 9-inch square pan. An aluminum foil lining gives you an easy way to lift the baked cookies out of the pan so you can cut them attractively.

So here is that favorite recipe—adapted to my version. Enjoy.

Raspberry Shortbread Bars

3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil and allow the foil to extend up two of the sides. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick spray.

Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, almond extract and salt with an electric mixer at medium high speed for 2 minutes. Add flour and beat just until moistened.

Measure out 1/2 cup dough. Place the reserved 1/2 cup dough in the refrigerator.

Spoon remaining dough into prepared pan. Using lightly floured fingers, press the dough to cover the pan evenly. Bake for 16 to 17 minutes or until set and just very lightly golden in color. Do not over bake.

Spoon preserves into a small glass cup. Microwave on High 20 to 30 seconds or until melted. Spoon the warm preserves over the warm crust, gently spreading to cover it evenly. Crumble the reserved dough into very small pieces and sprinkle evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake 16 to 17 minutes or until set and edges are very lightly golden in color. Do not over bake or allow it to brown. Allow to cool completely.

Use the edges of foil to lift the shortbread out of the pan. Gently peel away foil and cut into 16 (2-inch) bars.

Makes 16

Recipe credit: Italian Jam Crostata by Brigid Callinan, www.chow.com.