Semi-Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Shortbread Bars

I admit, my last few columns haven't been a picture of good health and non-fattening treats. In fact, they've been incredibly delicious, non-healthy recipes that tickle your taste buds.

So, to counteract my heinous acts against dieters everywhere, I present to you a tasty, and healthy, version of a fantastic dessert -- raspberry-chocolate shortbread bars.

This recipe is great. I'll admit I had my concerns when reading the ingredients, and when I could only find sugar-free, seedless raspberry jam, I didn't have high hopes. Boy, was I wrong.

These bars are all sorts of awesome. They pack only 170 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving (according to the Weight Watchers recipe) but taste like the heavenly seven layer bars you can get at -- a treat I am sure is at least 300 calories a serving.

To make this recipe you'll need the following:

• 2 c. low-fat Bisquick
• 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tbsp. fat-free milk
• 1 14-oz. can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp chopped pecans
• 1/3 c. seedless raspberry preserves

To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Next, whisk together the Bisquick, brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. For the topping, transfer 1/4 cup of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. For the crust, drizzle the milk over the remaining mixture in the large bowl and mix until evenly moistened. Press this mix evenly into the bottom of the foiled pan and bake in the oven until the edges begin to brown, approximately 15 minutes.

Once the crust is baked, pour the condensed milk and one cup of the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1-1/2 minutes. Stir until the chips are melted. Spread this evenly over the hot crust. Stir the pecans into the topping mix you set aside. Sprinkle this over the top of the chocolate filling. Next, add the jam, by spoonfuls, over the topping, placing each spoonful approximately 2-inches apart across the dish. Finally, sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips over the topping and jam. Bake until the filling is set (approximately 25 minutes). Once fully baked, let the pan cool completely. Once cooled, lift the bars from the pan using the foil. Cut into 30 bars. Enjoy!