chocolate raspberry cookie bars

Enjoy a mouthwateringly delicious Chocolate Raspberry Cookie Bar for a snack today! These dark chocolate cookie bars are topped with brightly flavored white chocolate raspberry ganache, decadently rich dark chocolate ganache, and a sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberry powder.

The paring of raspberries and chocolate is heavenly and these soft and chewy raspberry and chocolate cookie bars are seriously divine.

Brightly flavored, slightly sweet, mildly tart raspberries balance out the richness of the chocolate.

These bars are bursting with raspberry flavor. Not only are the soft and chewy, fudgy cookie bars topped with white chocolate that's made with both frozen raspberries and freeze-dried raspberries but they have a generous sprinkling of freeze-dried raspberry powder on top too.

To make these cookies, you start by making a pan of our delicious chocolate cookie bars.

These rich chocolatey cookies are so fudgy that they could be called brownies. No matter what you call them, they are the perfect base for these layered cookie bars.

They are made with both semi-sweet chocolate bars or chips and dark cocoa powder to give them a robust chocolate flavor.

So, let's get started.

Let's make chocolate cookie bars topped with raspberry and chocolate ganache!

You'll need:

• mixing bowl
• silicone spatula (or wooden spoon)
• 8-inch square baking pan
• non-stick tin foil (or parchment paper)
• offset spatula, optional
• fine-mesh sieve
• small saucepan

Tips for making chocolate cookie bars (brownies):

• Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave-safe bowl at high power for 30-second increments, stirring after each, just until melted and smooth.
  • Do NOT overheat the chocolate or it can burn or become really thick.
• Use 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk. The extra yolk will add richness and help to keep your cookie bars soft.
• Stir in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) just until combined. If you overmix the cookie dough once the flour has been added you will have tough or rubbery cookies.
• Bake the dark chocolate cookie layer just until the edges are set and the middle no longer looks wet but jiggles slightly. This will give your cookies a fudgy brownie-like texture.

Tips for making the raspberry ganache layer:

• Thaw a 10-ounce bag of frozen raspberries for a few hours before starting this recipe. The raspberries will break down allowing the liquid puree to begin to separate from the berries.
• Once the raspberries are soft, pour them into a fine-mesh sieve that's been set over a bowl.
• Use a silicone spatula or the back of a spoon to mash the berries, allowing the juice to drip down into the bowl.
• You need ½ cup of puree. You may get a bit more out of the berries so measure out ½ cup to use for the recipe. Use the rest in a smoothie or another recipe and discard the seeds and pulp.
• Add a splash (about ½ teaspoon) of freshly squeezed lemon juice to the raspberry puree to brighten the flavor.
• If your raspberry puree tastes too tart, stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar. But, keep in mind, the white chocolate is pretty sweet so this ingredient is purely optional.
• The easiest way to make raspberry ganache is to heat the raspberry puree and white chocolate chips or finely chopped bars over LOW heat on the stove, stirring about every minute.
• Heat just until 75% of the white chocolate has melted. This should take 3-5 minutes.
• Then, remove the pan from the stove and allow the residual heat to continue to melt the chocolate.
• Stir until smooth and creamy.
• Do not overheat the white chocolate or your ganache will be greasy or gritty.
• Enhance the raspberry flavor by stirring in 3 tablespoons of freeze-dried raspberry powder.

How to make Freeze-Dried Raspberry Powder:

• To intensify the raspberry flavor, you'll add freeze-dried raspberry powder to the raspberry ganache.
  • You can purchase freeze-dried raspberry powder or you can purchase whole freeze-dried raspberries and make your own powder. I prefer to make my own because there are no additives like maltodextrin or corn starch as there are in most powders.
  • To make freeze-dried raspberry powder for this recipe measure out 1 cup (or 28 grams or 1 ounce) of the freeze-dried raspberries and smash them using a food processor or by placing them in a bag and smashing them using a rolling pin or the back of a pan.
  • Then, press them through a fine-mesh sieve in order to remove the seeds. Use the back of a spoon and scrape the crushed berries back and forth over the metal sieve allowing the berry powder to fall into a bowl.

If you love this raspberry ganache, you might also enjoy making Chocolate Raspberry Easter Eggs (or truffles) using this recipe.

Topping the Raspberry Brownies with Chocolate Ganache:

• You can make dark chocolate ganache the same way by combining semi-sweet chocolate and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and heating it over LOW heat until 75% of the chocolate melts, then removing the pan from the heat and stirring it until smooth.
• If you'd prefer to make your chocolate ganache the more traditional way by pouring hot cream over your chocolate or by using the food processor method, be sure to check out my Chocolate Ganache Recipe post over at Hungry Happenings.
• Sprinkle about a tablespoon of freeze-dried raspberry powder over the top of the chocolate ganache to add even more raspberry flavor to these cookie bars.
• To make this easier, I suggest you pour the raspberry powder into a fine-mesh sieve and use that to dust the bright pink powder over the chocolate layer.

Continue to Content

Yield: 16

chocolate raspberry cookie bars

Print

Soft and chewy, fudgy cookie bars topped with fresh-tasting white chocolate raspberry ganache, rich and creamy dark chocolate ganache, and a dusting of freeze-dried raspberry powder.

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Additional Time 4 hours

Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• Chocolate Cookie Layer
• 170 grams or (6 ounces or 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate (chips or finely chopped bars)
• 113 grams (or ½ cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter
• 22 grams (or 3 tablespoons) Dutch Processed or special dark cocoa powder
• 141 grams (or ⅔ cup packed) light brown sugar
• 38 grams (or 3 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk (for extra richness and to keep the cookie bars soft)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 128 grams (or 1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• Freeze-Dried Raspberries (Powder)
• 28 grams (or 1 ounce or 1 cup) freeze-dried raspberries
• OR 17 grams (or .6 ounces or ¼ cup) seedless freeze-dried raspberry powder
• White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Layer
• 284 grams (10 ounces) frozen raspberries, thawed
• ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• optional, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 340 grams (or 12 ounces) white chocolate (finely chopped bars or 2 cups of chips)
• Dark Chocolate Ganache
• 80 grams (or ⅓ cup) heavy whipping cream
• 170 grams (or 6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate (finely chopped bars or 1 cup of chips)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (152° C)
2. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with non-stick tin foil or parchment paper.
3. Make the dark chocolate cookie layer.
4. Combine the semi-sweet chocolate with the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl.
5. Heat on high power for 30-second increments, stirring after each until melted.
6. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate and butter in a small saucepan set over low heat, then pour it into your mixing bowl.
7. Stir the cocoa powder into the melted chocolate. Adding the cocoa powder to the warm chocolate will help to bring out all the robust flavors of the cocoa powder.
8. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir until well blended.
9. Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
10. Stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together then mix it into the chocolate cookie dough just until blended.
11. Spread the cookie dough into the lined 8-inch square pan.
12. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan so the cookie bakes more evenly.
13. Continue to bake for 4-8 minutes until the edges firm up but the center still jiggles slightly but does not look wet.
14. If the edges of the cookie puff up, you can gently press them down using a metal spatula so that your cookie bars will have nice even layers.
15. Let the cookie cool in the pan for 1 hour.
16. Once cooled, you make the white chocolate raspberry ganache.
17. Start by smashing the freeze-dried raspberries either using a food processor or by placing them in a zip-top bag and smashing them using a rolling pin or the back of a pan.
18. Pour the crushed raspberries through a fine-mesh sieve. Press down on the raspberries, scraping them across the wire strainer to remove all the seeds.
19. Discard the seeds and you should have approximately ¼ cup of freeze-dried raspberry powder.
20. Set aside until needed.
21. Now pour the thawed frozen raspberries into your sieve set over a bowl.
22. Press down on the raspberries, squeezing the juice into the bowl.
23. Once you have ½ cup of raspberry puree, you can discard the seeds and pulp.
24. Stir ½ teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice into the ½ cup of raspberry puree.
25. If this is too tart, you can stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar.
26. Then, stir the raspberry puree and the white chocolate together in a small saucepan.
27. Set the pan over LOW heat.
28. Allow the white chocolate to begin melting, stirring occasionally until about 75% of the chocolate is melted. This should take 3-5 minutes.
29. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until smooth and creamy allowing the residual heat to continue to melt the chocolate.
30. Stir 3 tablespoons of the freeze-dried raspberry powder into the ganache, reserving the remaining powder to dust over the top of the cookie bars.
31. Spread the raspberry ganache over the cookie and set it aside to cool for 30 minutes.
32. Next, make the dark chocolate ganache
33. Combine the heavy whipping cream and semi-sweet chocolate in a small saucepan.
34. Set the pan over LOW heat.
35. Allow the chocolate to begin melting, stirring occasionally until about 75% of the chocolate is melted.
36. Remove it from the heat and continue to stir until smooth and creamy allowing the residual heat to continue to melt the chocolate.
37. Spread the dark chocolate ganache over the raspberry ganache layer.
38. Dust the top of the chocolate ganache with the remaining freeze-dried raspberry powder. I found it easiest to use my fine-mesh sieve to do this job.
39. Set the pan aside to cool for 30 minutes.
40. Cover the pan and chill the chocolate raspberry cookie bars in the refrigerator for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the ganache firms up.
41. Remove the cookie bars from the pan and peel off the tin foil or parchment paper.
42. Cut the cookie into 16 squares using a dry, long, sharp knife, cleaning the knife with hot water after each cut.

Notes

How to tell when the chocolate cookie layer is done?

The edges of the cookie will bake more quickly than the center of the cookie. If you prefer more fudge-like cookie bars, then bake just until the edges look set and the center still jiggles for about 24 minutes. For firmer cookie bars, bake until the center no longer jiggles for about 28 minutes.

If the edges of the cookies puff up higher than the middle, you can use a spatula to push down to even out the cookie. This will make your layers look more uniform when you cut the cookie bars.

How to store these raspberry chocolate cookie bars?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Or place the cookie bars in a large zip-top bag in a single layer and freeze for up to 3 months. Be sure the ganache layers are firm before placing the cookie bars in a zip-top bag.

Why do you use weights in the ingredients list?

When baking, it is always best to weigh your ingredients, particularly flour. If you have a scale, weigh your ingredients. You'll get the most accurate measurements using grams.

I do include measurements in grams, ounces, cups, tablespoons, or teaspoons to make it easier for you.

How to measure flour without a scale?

If you do not have a scale, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup then scrape across the top of the cup with a spatula or knife.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 450Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 3gSugar: 33gProtein: 8g

HowToMakeEasyCookies.com offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you use to create this recipe.

More Cookie Bar Recipes

• chocolate peanut butter bars
• raspberry oatmeal cookie bars
• chocolate caramel cookie bars
• 7 layer magic bars
• triple chocolate cookie bars (not pictured)

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Beth Klosterboer

Hi, I'm Beth, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I share my fun food recipes at HungryHappenings.com, easy fudge recipes at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes to share with you here.

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