Pillowy soft, cake-like bars perfectly spiced with warm cinnamon. Full of plump raisins and chopped walnuts, this old-fashioned Iced Raisin Spice Bars recipe is sure to become a cherished family favorite!
Transport yourself back to a time of comforting homemade treats with these exquisite Iced Raisin Spice Bars. This recipe is more than just a sweet confection; it’s an invitation to rediscover the simple joys of baking and the nostalgic warmth of a kitchen filled with fragrant spices. Each bar offers a delightful texture—pillowy soft and wonderfully moist, reminiscent of a classic spice cake, but in an easy-to-handle bar format. The vibrant notes of cinnamon perfectly complement the natural sweetness of plump, juicy raisins and the satisfying crunch of chopped walnuts, creating a dessert that truly speaks to the soul.
Creating these homemade raisin spice bars is a surprisingly straightforward process, proving that the most cherished recipes are often the simplest. You don’t need to be an expert baker to achieve these impressive results. The ease of preparation makes this recipe perfect for a relaxing afternoon project or for enlisting the help of little ones, creating new memories together. Imagine the delight of sharing these delectable treats with family and friends, evoking a sense of old-fashioned comfort and joy with every bite. They are an ideal dessert for any occasion, from casual weeknight indulgences to special holiday gatherings.
The beauty of these glazed raisin bars lies in their adaptability. While our recipe features a beautifully balanced powdered sugar glaze, you can easily customize the topping to suit your preferences. For an extra touch of richness, consider a tangy cream cheese frosting. Alternatively, a simple dusting of confectioners’ sugar offers an elegant and lighter finish. However you choose to adorn them, pairing these warmly spiced bars with a cold glass of milk is the quintessential way to savor their flavors and embrace a moment of pure culinary nostalgia. Remarkably, these moist and flavorful bars, bursting with brown sugar, cinnamon, and the subtle depth of coffee, can be ready to enjoy in just about 30 minutes, making them a perfect last-minute treat.
Classic dessert bar recipes hold a special place in our hearts for good reason. They combine the best aspects of cakes and cookies, offering delightful flavors in a convenient, portable form. Their ease of baking and serving makes them perfect for potlucks, bake sales, or simply as a comforting snack at home. If you appreciate the timeless appeal of these cinnamon raisin bars, you’ll also love exploring other beloved bar recipes such as the rustic Pumpkin Pie Bars baked on a Shortbread Crust or the irresistible layers of Seven Layer Cookie Bars. These recipes are enduring proof that some flavors and formats never go out of style.
Unearthing a Treasured Iced Raisin Spice Bar Recipe
The journey of this particular Iced Raisin Spice Bar recipe to my kitchen is a charming tale in itself, one that adds an extra layer of history and sentiment to every bite. It began before my daughter and son-in-law were even married, when his Great Aunt, a wonderful family matriarch, gifted them a box brimming with her cherished family recipes. Knowing my deep love for baking and my appreciation for vintage culinary gems, my daughter thoughtfully passed this collection on to me. Among the many fascinating cards, one immediately captured my attention: a humble, typewritten blue index card dated December of 1968, bearing the simple heading “Metropolitan Utilities District.” It was a delightful discovery, likely enclosed within one of her gas bills, a testament to the charming ways recipes were once shared and spread through communities.
This old-fashioned recipe, while promising a delicious outcome, presented a slight challenge with its delightfully succinct instructions. The only baking guidance offered was “bake in a GAS oven,” reflecting a simpler era when baking was often learned through intuition and experience rather than precise, step-by-step guides. This provided a wonderful opportunity for me to experiment and adapt the original notes to modern baking techniques, all while striving to preserve the authentic, comforting essence of the vintage spice bars. The effort was immensely rewarding. The final product was, in a word, *incredible*. What truly confirmed its success was that even my own children, who typically shy away from raisins, devoured these bars with surprising enthusiasm. This experience solidified its place as a truly special recipe – one that manages to charm even the pickiest eaters and delight everyone who tries it.
The Secret to Extraordinary Raisin Spice Bars: Pre-Soaking the Raisins
The distinctive deliciousness of these Iced Raisin Spice Bars hinges on a fundamental, yet often overlooked, step: soaking the raisins before incorporating them into the batter. This seemingly small detail makes a profound difference in both the texture and depth of flavor of the finished bars. This particular recipe calls for the raisins to be steeped in a warm, aromatic mixture of strong black coffee and ground cinnamon. As the raisins luxuriate in this fragrant liquid, they gradually plump up, becoming incredibly tender and juicy. This rehydration prevents them from drying out during baking, ensuring they remain moist and succulent, bursting with flavor in every bite.
Beyond rehydration, this pre-soaking method cleverly infuses the raisins with the rich, complex flavors of the coffee and cinnamon. While the cinnamon-coffee liquid is thoughtfully integrated into the batter later, you’ll find that the baked bars do not possess an overwhelming coffee taste. Instead, the coffee acts as a magnificent supporting player, contributing a subtle yet significant depth that enhances the warm, comforting spice of the cinnamon. It’s a culinary finesse that adds an extra layer of sophistication without dominating the quintessential profile of a cinnamon raisin spice bar. Once adequately plumped and infused, the raisins are gently folded into the batter just before baking, guaranteeing their even distribution and ensuring that each bar is studded with these wonderfully rehydrated pockets of sweetness.
Essential Ingredients for Your Iced Raisin Bars
Crafting the perfect batch of these delightful old-fashioned raisin bars relies on a carefully selected list of ingredients, each contributing to the unique taste and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need for both the bars and their luscious icing:
For the Bars:
- Raisins: As the star ingredient, raisins bring a natural sweetness, a delightful chewiness, and a profound depth of fruity flavor. Whether you choose dark raisins, golden raisins, or a vibrant combination of both, they are central to the appeal of these bars.
- Ground Cinnamon: This vital spice provides the signature warm, sweet, and slightly peppery notes characteristic of a true “spice cake.” Beyond its enticing aroma and taste, cinnamon is also known for its beneficial nutrients and antioxidants.
- Hot Black Coffee: Don’t let the coffee ingredient surprise you! Strong black coffee performs two critical functions: it beautifully balances the sweetness of the bars, and more importantly, it effectively plumps the raisins, making them incredibly juicy and tender. The coffee’s robust flavor mellows significantly during baking, offering a deep, nuanced background rather than an overt coffee taste.
- Shortening: The inclusion of shortening is key to achieving the superior texture of these bars. It contributes to a wonderfully smooth, workable batter and ensures the baked bars have an exceptionally soft, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
- Brown Sugar: A powerhouse ingredient in baking, brown sugar imparts not only a rich, caramelized sweetness but also vital moisture due to its molasses content. It plays a crucial role in keeping these raisin spice bars incredibly moist and flavorful.
- Eggs: Eggs serve as the primary binding agent, providing essential structure to the bars. They also contribute significantly to the rich, chewy, and soft texture, helping to create that desirable cake-like consistency.
- All-Purpose Flour: This foundational ingredient provides the necessary structure and body for the bars, ensuring they have a wonderful, delicious texture that is neither too dense nor too crumbly.
- Baking Soda: As a leavening agent, baking soda is crucial for giving the bars their characteristic lift. It helps them to rise beautifully, resulting in a light, airy, and fluffy texture as they bake.
- Nuts (Optional): For those who appreciate a textural contrast, a half cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are highly recommended) adds a delightful crunch. They also introduce an extra layer of earthy, nutty flavor that harmonizes perfectly with the spices and raisins.
The original recipe provided only a brief instruction: “frost with a powdered sugar glaze.” However, for these bars, I chose to adapt the beloved icing recipe from my Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies. This choice ensures a perfectly creamy and balanced sweetness that enhances the bars without being overpoweringly sugary.
For the Icing:
- Powdered Sugar: The essential foundation for any smooth glaze or frosting. Powdered sugar dissolves seamlessly, creating a fine, creamy consistency that beautifully coats the bars.
- Cream: When combined with powdered sugar, cream yields a rich, smooth, and easily spreadable frosting. It adds a delicate dairy richness that complements the spiced bars impeccably, ensuring the icing is utterly delicious and perfectly balanced.
How to Make Old-Fashioned Iced Raisin Spice Bars: A Detailed Guide
Preparing these delightful old-fashioned spice bars is an enjoyable and gratifying experience. Follow these comprehensive steps carefully to ensure your batch turns out perfectly every time. For precise measurements and the full recipe, please refer to the detailed recipe card at the end of this post!
Step 1: Prepare Your Oven and Plump the Raisins
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). While the oven heats, generously grease a jelly roll pan (approximately 10 ½” x 15 ½”). This crucial step ensures your bars will not stick and can be easily removed after baking. Set the prepared pan aside, ready for the batter.
In a separate, heatproof bowl, combine your cup of raisins with the specified teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Pour ¾ cup of hot, strong black coffee over this mixture. Give it a gentle stir to ensure all the raisins are submerged and evenly coated. Allow this mixture to sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes. This essential soaking period will hydrate the raisins, making them wonderfully juicy, and infuse them with the delightful aromas of cinnamon and the subtle richness of coffee, which is key to the bars’ unique flavor profile.
Step 2: Cream Together the Wet Ingredients
Using a stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment, or a sturdy hand mixer, cream together the ⅔ cup of shortening and 1 cup of brown sugar. Beat these ingredients until the mixture becomes visibly light and fluffy. This process incorporates air, which is fundamental for achieving the bars’ soft, cake-like texture. Next, add the two eggs one at a time, ensuring each egg is thoroughly mixed into the batter before adding the next. Continue mixing until the batter appears smooth and homogenous. Remember to periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are evenly combined.
Step 3: Incorporate Dry Ingredients and the Coffee Mixture
Step 3: Incorporate Dry Ingredients and the Coffee MixtureIn a separate medium-sized bowl, sift together the 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon of baking soda. Sifting is a beneficial step as it aerates the flour and helps prevent lumps, contributing to a smoother, more uniform batter. Now, return to your soaked raisins. Carefully drain the liquid from the plumped raisins, separating the cinnamon-coffee liquid from the rehydrated fruit. Both components will be used in the next steps.
With your mixer on low speed, alternately add the separated coffee liquid and the sifted flour mixture to your wet batter. Begin and end with the dry ingredients. Mix gently after each addition, just until everything is combined and no streaks of dry flour remain. It’s crucial not to overmix at this stage, as over-developing the gluten can result in tough bars. The batter should be thick and consistent.
Finally, using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the plumped raisins and the optional ½ cup of chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans are excellent choices) by hand. Ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the batter without crushing the delicate raisins. Carefully spread this rich, spiced batter evenly into your prepared jelly roll pan. An offset spatula, lightly greased, can be very helpful in achieving a smooth and consistent layer across the pan.
Step 4: Bake the Bars and Prepare the Icing
Carefully transfer the pan to your preheated oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Baking times can vary slightly depending on your oven, so it’s always wise to keep a close eye on them. The iced raisin bars are ready when a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating they are fully baked but still beautifully moist. While your bars are in the oven, take this opportunity to prepare the simple yet utterly delicious icing. In a small bowl, combine 1 ¼ cup of powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of cream. Whisk these two ingredients together until the mixture is completely smooth, lump-free, and has a pourable yet thick consistency that will nicely coat the bars.
Step 5: Cool and Ice the Warm Bars
Once the baked bars are removed from the oven, allow them to cool in the pan for just a few minutes, typically 2-3 minutes. The secret to achieving a perfectly smooth, slightly absorbed, and beautifully set icing is to apply it while the bars are still warm. This gentle warmth allows the glaze to melt slightly and adhere wonderfully, creating that inviting, slightly crackled top layer that is a hallmark of truly old-fashioned treats. Gently spread the prepared icing evenly over the warm bars. As they continue to cool completely, the icing will set, creating a lovely, sweet finish.
Now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for: indulge and enjoy! These incredibly versatile bars are a perfect choice for any moment. They make a wonderfully satisfying breakfast when paired with a fresh cup of coffee, an irresistible dessert bar to round off a meal, or a comforting snack cake to brighten your afternoon. Their rich, spiced flavor and tender texture guarantee they’ll be a welcome treat at any time of day, satisfying cravings and bringing smiles.
Adore These Raisin Spice Bars? Pin and Save Them!
If these delightful Iced Raisin Spice Bars have captured your heart and taste buds, ensure you can easily revisit this fantastic recipe for future baking adventures! Don’t let this gem get lost in your browser tabs. Take a moment to pin this recipe to your favorite Pinterest dessert board, or simply bookmark this page. This way, you’ll always have quick access whenever that irresistible craving for old-fashioned, spiced, and comforting goodness strikes. Sharing delicious recipes is a joy, and this is certainly one you’ll want to bake again and again!
Storing Your Delicious Spice Bars: Tips for Optimal Freshness
Should you manage to have any of these wonderfully sweet treats leftover – a challenge for most! – proper storage is essential to maintain their freshness and deliciousness. These raisin spice bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Keeping them chilled is particularly beneficial for preserving their moist texture and extending the life of the delicious icing. For longer-term storage, these bars freeze beautifully. Simply wrap individual bars, or an entire slab, tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months and thawed at room temperature whenever you desire a quick, comforting indulgence.
Craving More Sweet Treats? Explore Our Extensive Dessert Collection!
If your sweet tooth is still calling after indulging in these incredible Iced Raisin Spice Bars, you’ve come to the right place! My website is a veritable treasure trove brimming with endless dessert possibilities. Whether your craving leans towards more delightful desserts, classic cookies, rich and fudgy brownies, or more fantastic bar recipes, you will discover plenty to inspire your next baking adventure. Here are just a few more of my personal favorites that I’m confident you’ll absolutely love:
- Easy Apple Bars Made with Canned Apples
- Decadent Chocolate Orange Fudge
- Irresistible Graham Cracker Toffee
- Fun S’Mores Cookie Bars for Any Occasion
- Moist Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Bright and Zesty Lemon Brownies
- Creamy White Chocolate Cream Cheese Fudge
- Refreshing Fresh Orange Bars
- Grandma Jane’s Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Ready to fill your home with the inviting aroma of cinnamon and create a treat that will delight everyone? Let’s get baking these unforgettable old-fashioned iced raisin spice bars!
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Print Recipe
Raisin Spice Bars
Equipment
- Rubber Spatulas
- Offset Spatula Set (6, 8, 10 Inch Stainless Steel Blades)
- Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
- KitchenAid Hand Mixer
- 15 x 10 x 1-Inch Cookie/Jelly Roll Pan
Ingredients
- FOR THE BARS:
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup hot black coffee
- ⅔ cup shortening
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup chopped nuts (optional, walnuts or pecans recommended)
- FOR THE ICING:
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 10 ½” x 15 ½” jelly roll pan and set aside.
- Combine raisins and cinnamon in hot coffee. Let stand for about 10 minutes to plump.
- With a mixer, cream together shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs until well combined.
- Sift together all-purpose flour and baking soda.
- Separate the coffee liquid from the plumped raisins.
- Alternately add the coffee liquid and the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined after each addition. Do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the plumped raisins and chopped nuts (if using) by hand.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- While bars are baking, prepare the icing by mixing powdered sugar and cream until smooth.
- Allow the bars to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then frost them while they are still warm to achieve a perfectly set glaze.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 120kcal |
Carbohydrates: 17g |
Protein: 1g |
Fat: 6g |
Saturated Fat: 2g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g |
Cholesterol: 14mg |
Sodium: 29mg |
Sugar: 11g