Raspberry Patch Crumb Bars

To give these fresh, fruity bars even more crunch, add a sprinkling of nuts to the yummy crumb topping. Everyone will want to indulge.

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I have an abundance of blackberries, can I use that instead of raspberries

You should be able to substitute with blackberries. I am going to try it with blueberries.

Can I use butter instead of shortening fo this recipe or maybe 1/2 cup of each?

I substitute blueberries, but also change almond extract to vanilla - they are great!

I don't like using margarine, either. Am anxious to learn the response to rosezink'g question.

I baked a pan of these bars last summer using butter, not margarine or shortening, and they turned out fine, texture-wise. I thought the filling was a little on the tart side, though. When I make them again I'll probably add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar to the filling mixture.

You could propably use a can of cherry pie filling instead of raspberries. That would be a lot less tart, while keeping the red color of the bars.

These are really good bars. Easy to make too. I'll probably use slightly less cinnamon next time though. I halved the recipe because that's all the shortening I had and it turned out great.

I made a half recipe using cherry pie filling instead of raspberries and it came out great. When it was still warm, I had a piece with vanilla ice cream over it. Delicious! Very good recipe and one that I'll make again.

Very good and easy to assemble. Made with sweet dark cherries and it turned out wonderful. Disappeared in a flash.