Czechoslovakia Pastry Bars
Submitted by goodnight
Buttery shortbread-style bars layered with raspberry jam and chopped walnuts, topped with a crumbly streusel. A Central European bakery classic that makes over 3 dozen.
YIELD
42 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
35 minREADY
50 minThese bars are pure nostalgia. A rich, buttery shortbread base gets spread with raspberry jam, scattered with chopped walnuts, and finished with a crumbly streusel topping made from the same dough.
The recipe makes over three dozen bars from a single jelly roll pan, which makes them ideal for bake sales, cookie exchanges, or feeding a holiday crowd.
They come from the tradition of Central European pastry baking, where butter, jam, and nuts are combined in simple but irresistible ways. Nothing complicated here, just good technique and quality ingredients.
Kitchen Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar until truly fluffy. This is where the tender texture comes from.
- Reserve a quarter of the dough for the crumble topping before pressing the rest into the pan.
- Any fruit jam works. Apricot and plum are traditional Central European choices if you want to mix it up.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting. Warm bars crumble and fall apart.
Ingredients
Directions
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla, mix well.
Mix salt and 3/ cups flour together.
Spread ¾ of the batter in a greased 11×17 jelly roll pan.
Spread with jam, sprinkle nuts over all.
Combine remaining / cup of dough and crumble.
Sprinkle over the top.
Bake in a preheated 350oF for 35 minutes.
Cool and cut into 3/ dozen bars.
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