Raspberry Cream Cheese Dessert Bars: Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup

My mom came up with this lovely recipe for a refreshing dessert bar.  There are two things that make any dessert better: raspberries and chocolate.  There isn't any chocolate in this dessert, but there are plenty of raspberries!

To emphasize how much I think of these dessert bars, actually how much I love them a lot, here's Nat King Cole singing "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup."

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE DESSERT BARS

CRUST

¾ cup flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2/3 cup pecans, chopped

6 tablespoons butter, melted

CREAM CHEESE LAYER

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

RASPBERRY SAUCE

1 cup frozen raspberries

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Dash nutmeg

2 tablespoons butter

GARNISH

1 cup fresh raspberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, and pecans.  Stir in butter until crumbly then dump loosely on to ungreased 9” X 13” baking pan.  Gently spread and press to connect all the crust dough.  Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs, vanilla, orange zest and orange juice concentrate, and beat well.  Spread over gently over cooled crust.  Bake for 20 minutes longer.
4. Remove from oven and cool completely. 
5. In saucepan, combine frozen raspberries, granulated sugar, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, and nutmeg.  Stir over medium heat until slightly thickened.  Add butter.  Simmer on low until thickened a bit more.  Let cool.  Drizzle over cut and cooled cookies. 
6. Top with several fresh raspberries.