Spicy... but not in a hot way

The sweet item I'm posting about today is one I made before we left for Maryland last week. I have had this one in my to-try stack for a long time and in looking through the pantry, we had just enough plump golden raisins to get used up for this recipe.

Raisin Spice Bars have a dense and chewy texture that is somewhere between a cake and a cookie. The spice part from the recipe name comes from a delicate and fragrant mixture of ground ginger, Vietnamese cinnamon and allspice. An in-your-face deep and rich flavor comes through from thick molasses. I used chewy golden raisins, but I bet you could get away with chocolate chips or whatever mix-ins you like. I did enjoy the fact that even though these are baked in a 9 x 13 baking dish, there is only 4 tablespoons of butter, which helps to keep down the calories. On day one these bars were pretty good - but as the spices assimilated into the bars, they grew much more flavorful and had a more moist crumb to them.

Recipes
Raisin Spice Bars