Delicious Raisin Bars Are A Bite Back In Time

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The Taste Will Remind You Of A Favorite Old-Fashioned Pie

If you remember sour cream raisin pie and its deliciousness, you'll fall in love with these sour cream raisin bars! The filling you loved so much is tucked between two buttery layers of tender, crumbly oatmeal crust.

This raisin bar is as easy as pie to bake and captures the indescribable experience of the odd-sounding but amazing combination of ingredients in this vintage recipe. If you're an old-timer like me, you will know it. I was surprised and delighted to see our teenage grandson going back for a second piece!

Why You'll Love These Sour Cream Raisin Bars

The recipe makes a generous thirteen-by-nine panful of these yummy bars. Since they are sweet and rich, I suggest cutting them into twenty-four squares, each a little over two by two inches.

That is unless you're my grandson, who cut a man-size piece both times or my husband, who did the same, then put Cool Whip on top! Oh to have their metabolism! If I did, I would do the same thing! 🤣

These treats are excellent keepers and actually got better each day after sitting on the counter tightly sealed. They freeze beautifully, too, for up to three months and they taste great right out of the freezer. (Someone told me... 😉)

The ingredients are very simple, and the recipe isn't at all hard to make.

How To Make Sour Cream Raisin Bars

The first step is to plump up the good-for-you raisins by putting them into a bowl and pouring hot water over them. Let that sit for about ten minutes while you get the crust ready for the oven, then drain it.

To make the buttery base and topping, combine old-fashioned oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, and baking soda.

Add the melted butter and stir together until all the butter (oh how I love butter!) is absorbed. I like this kind of oatmeal topping so much that I can't help myself—I always snitch a few pinches.

Then, pat half of that yummy crumb mixture into the pan. I used the bottom of my measuring cup to firmly press it into place. Pop it into a 350-degree oven for seven minutes while you start to make the creamy filling!

Mix the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium-ish heat for eight to ten minutes, stirring or whisking frequently until it becomes gloriously thick and creamy.

Then fold in those nice plump raisins. I added some cinnamon the way Aunt Dora taught me because I always put some in my sour cream raisin pie filling.

Don't forget to take the crust out of the oven while you're making the filling! Next, pour the creamy sour cream raisin filling on the crust. You can do this immediately while the crust is still hot.

Then, sprinkle the rest of the oatmeal topping evenly over the filling and pop it back in the oven for about forty minutes. The filling will firm up, and the top will be a light golden brown.

You will need to let the raisin bars cool completely before cutting the raisin bars into squares, but if you know my always-in-a-hurry, ants-in-the-pants behavior, it will not surprise you to know that I dug out a corner with a spoon to have a taste while they were still hot. 👍

When I posted my sour cream raisin pie, some of us started discussing how to enjoy this delightful combination in a way that takes less time than making a pie. I am so glad to have found this recipe, and I plan to make it often.

Yield: 24 bars

Sour Cream Raisin Bars

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This is a wonderful vintage recipe for sour cream raisin bars with a buttery oatmeal crust and topping. Reminiscent of sour cream raisin pie.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

CRUST

• 2 cups raisins
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup salted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda

FILLING

• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the raisins in a bowl and pour hot water over them. Let them sit for ten minutes, then drain.
3. Mix the oatmeal, baking soda, brown sugar, and flour in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until all the butter is absorbed.
4. Put half the crumb mixture into a 13 x 9 pan and press down firmly.
5. Bake for 7 minutes.
6. Mix the egg yolks, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium-ish heat for eight to ten minutes, stirring or whisking frequently until it becomes gloriously thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and fold in the raisins.
7. Spread the filling over the crust.
8. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the filling and bake for 40 minutes.
9. The filling will firm up, and the top will be a light golden brown.
10. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
11. Store at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to three days.
12. These bars freeze beautifully for up to three months.

I love bar cookies anyway because of their simplicity and how amazing they taste. Here are a couple of our family's favorites. Fudgy Brownies, Peanut Butter Frito Bars, and Easy Cake Mix Lemon Bars.

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