If you’ve never heard of them, sour cream raisin bars are the perfect cross between a date square and a butter tart. They’re wonderfully moist and the creamy raisin filling instantly lifts each bite!
Seriously, I just can’t get over the creamy raisin layer. Not only does it have just the right amount of sweetness, but it works amazingly with the buttery oat crumb mixture that makes up the base.
It may not be the prettiest dessert in the world, but you’ll forget about aesthetics as soon as you take your first mouthful. The light crunchiness of the topping? The delicious chewiness of the raisin layer? Unbeatable!
The best part of this dessert is the fact that it keeps for a few months in the freezer without losing its texture or taste. So, you can pull them out whenever you’re craving a buttery bite!
Why You’ll Love These Sour Cream Raisin Bars
- Super easy to make.
- Ready in minutes.
- The recipe is easy enough for the entire family to get involved.
- They store for days (and freeze for months!).
- The perfect mixture of sweet and buttery flavors.
Ingredients
- Thompson raisins
- Rolled oats
- All-purpose flour
- Salted butter
- Light brown sugar
- Baking soda
- Sour cream
- Granulated sugar
- Egg yolks
- Cornstarch
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Sour Cream Raisin Bars
- Step One: Preheat oven to 350F.
- Step Two: Add raisins to a bowl. Pour hot water on top and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Step Three: In a large bowl, mix butter, brown sugar, baking soda, oatmeal, and flour.
- Step Four: Put half of the mixture in a greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 7 minutes.
- Step Five: Add egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar, and sour cream to a medium pot on the stove over medium-low heat. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Step Six: Add raisins and vanilla and stir. Pour mixture over crust.
- Step Seven: Top with remaining oat mixture.
- Step Eight: Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.
Equipment Needed
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What to Serve with Sour Cream Raisin Bars
- Lemon Curd Coconut Macarons
- Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie
- Red Velvet Hot Chocolate
- Cinnamon Hot Chocolate
- Apple Raisin Cake
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Always cover the raisins with water. This is a step in the recipe, but don’t miss it if you’re short on time. It makes them rounded and soft to form the perfect creamy base.
- Make sure you beat the yolks properly before adding them to the recipe!
- Don’t skimp on creaming your butter and sugar. This is what gives you that gloriously smooth and sweet result that characterizes these bars.
- Don’t forget to cool your bars before slicing them. I know it’s tempting to just dive in, but you’ll want to cool your bars to avoid the filling spilling out or not setting properly.
Variations and Substitutions
- Throw in a few chocolate chips for a chocolatey kick!
- You can sprinkle other dried fruit like cranberries into the mixture for a festive twist. Just don’t overdo it as it’ll distract from the main flavors in the recipe.
- These bars taste delicious served with fresh custard if you’re eating them warmed up!
- You can throw walnuts on top of your bars if you want some additional crunch.
Storage Instructions
These bars store surprisingly well, and they’ll last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
I recommend storing them in an airtight container to keep them fresh. Otherwise, a glass container or a plate covered with plastic wrap will do.
They taste delicious chilled, but you can warm them up if you prefer.
Can I Freeze?
You can freeze batches of these sour cream raisin bars for around 3 months.
It’s a great idea to store them in small batches inside freezer-safe bags.
Before eating them, just take your bars out of the freezer and thaw them overnight. In the morning, they’ll be as good as new!
Bar Recipes
- No-Bake Nougat Bars –These sweet and salty nougat bars require just 6 ingredients to make and are totally delicious!
- Christmas Chewy Bars – Ring in the festive season with these 4-ingredient chewy bars!
- Magic Cookie Bars – If you adore decadent butterscotch, chocolate, toffee, coconut, and nutty treats, try these magic cookie bars!
- Mud Hen Bars – These incredibly indulgent cookie bars are topped with walnuts, chocolate, and marshmallows to create the ultimate sweet treat.
- Lemon Bars – these sunny lemon bars are just like biting into a hefty slice of a lemon meringue pie. And what could be better than that?
You’ll also like these Butter Tart Squares, Fudge Nut Bars, and Penuche Squares.
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Sour Cream Raisin Bars
This easy dessert recipe is a cross between a date square and a butter tart. It has a creamy raisin filling that everyone loves!
Ingredients
- 2 cups thompson raisins
- 1 ¾ cup rolled oats
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks, beaten
- 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add raisins to a bowl. Pour hot water on top and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, brown sugar, baking soda, oatmeal and flour. Put half of the mixture in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake for 7 minutes.
- Add egg yolks, cornstarch, sugar and sour cream to a medium pot on the stove over medium low heat. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add raisins and vanilla and stir. Pour mixture over crust.
- Top with remaining oat mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool before cutting into squares.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1 barAmount Per Serving: Calories: 520Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 246mgCarbohydrates: 76gFiber: 3gSugar: 48gProtein: 6g
Kat says
I have made these several times and is always a hit! I don’t like real sweet desserts so I only went with 1 cup sugar, but I doubled the custard. If I would have went with the original custard recipe I would only use 1/2 cup sugar. There is sugar in the crumbles and the raisins are sweet as well. It turned out fabulous. Thank you for sharing your recipe.