If there is one thing a girl’s night needs, it is snacks. Food. Something to shove in your mouth to prevent you from interrupting your other girlfriends who finally want a chance to speak. Or because you’re a girl and you obviously need every excuse to eat something. Just worked out? Yes, I do need that granola bar with a side of eggs. Morning coffee? Why yes barista, I do think I need that overly sugared and dense piece of coffee cake. Girl’s night? Yes, I do need raspberry streusel bars. Why? Because it’s a girl’s night. It is a pact. It is a bond.

This sacred ritual started like most other rituals in a girl’s life: with a slumber party (think about it: pedicures. makeovers. gossip. liking boys. laughing so hard you fart and blame the squeaky chair.). Some might say the slumber party finds its origins in humbler beginnings, perhaps the passifer (Josh calls this thing a binky, I’m not sure where that came from) hastily shoved into a crying baby’s mouth. And though this may be true, not until the slumber party do girls irrevocably learn that being in the presence of one or more other girls in the primary night time hours constitutes a “girl’s night”, and that event requires snacks.

Once upon a time, these were a simpler snack for a simpler folk. The gossip was simpler. The makeovers? Atrocious. And the boy liking was often made up — boiled down to its core, it was espionage and extortion, information gathering to be used in the event a highly coveted birthday invitation was conveniently forgotten or a missing barbie was found in the wrong backpack. Back in those days, popcorn and popsicles were all that were needed to sustain our frail little bodies as we watched Little House on the Prairie until the bleak hour of 11pm, after which we sugar crashed into our subzero gortex sleeping bags made for the purpose of lake sleeping.

Fifteen years later, the basic format of the girl’s night is essentially unchanged, except that now we all wear our own makeup, buy our own clothes, and watch movies rated PG-13. But the snacks — oh the snacks! If the 8 year old versions of ourselves could have tasted these raspberry streusel bars! My guess is that we wouldn’t have cared, because what 8 year old likes raspberry streusel bars more than popsicles?

And we probably would have disapproved of our taste in movies, as well as our taste in clothes (you mean you have your own money, can buy your own clothes, and you don’t own a little mermaid fin and clam bra? I’m ashamed of you, 23 year old Meg). But the grown up version of ourselves thought they were divine, and the perfect way to bring together old friends with boys to talk about. The girl’s night may be relatively unchanged, but the snacks are definitely better.

Josh and Meg are currently slathering their far too pale bodies with their 17th tube of SPF 90 while they Meg tries to keep her balance with a beach-ball stomach and her already uncoordinated lack of being able to stand or walk upright after a week of hammock lounging and vineyard tasting, err touring. Responses will be slow, but in our absence we give you bars.

One Year Ago: Creamy Coleslaw

Raspberry Streusel Bars
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Makes 24 2-inch squares

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
18 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened to room temperature
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup raspberry preserves
6 ounces fresh raspberries, roughly chopped
Zest from 1 lemon

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375-degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with two sheets of aluminum foil, leaving an inch over hang around the edges. Spray pan with non-stick spray.

In bowl of a food processor, process flour, sugar and salt together until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles damp sand, about twenty 1-second pulses.

Measure 1 1/4 cup flour mixture into a medium bowl and set aside; distribute remaining flour mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan. Using hands or flat-bottomed measuring cup, firmly press mixture into even layer to form bottom crust. Baking until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

White crust is baking, add brown sugar, oats, and pecans to reserved flour mixture. Toss to combine and pinch mixture together to create hazelnut-sized clumps; set aside streusel.

Combine preserves, chopped raspberries, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Gently stir together.

Spread raspberry mixture evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). return pan to oven and bake until topping is deep golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes.Cool to room temperature on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours; remove from baking pan by lifting foil extensions. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.