With sweet raspberry jam and a delectable shortbread crust, these Raspberry Crumble Bars are delicious, easily portable, and giftable desserts!
Berry season is here! If you intend to pick berries and eat them right away, it's best to pick them when they are super ripe.
However, if you want to use berries in yummy baked goods, the best time to pick raspberries is just before they are at their ripest. I do this when I'm going to make some jam or jelly.
Raspberry Crumble Bars
Baking fruit bars is one of my favorite ways to enjoy summer's juiciest fruits. With raspberry season coming up (mid-July through August in Oregon), I'm excited to make these raspberry crumble bars as part of our regular summer baking rotation.
Raspberry Crumble Bars are great for summer adventures! Some of the reasons I prefer baking bars to pie include:
- Bars are super portable. Pop a few into a container or snack bag for day trips.
- These are totally freezable. Keep some in the refrigerator for the week and freeze the rest to enjoy throughout the summer and into the early fall!
- You can eat them with your hands. No utensils required!
- More flavor and texture than pie. I just love the combo of a buttery thick shortbread-like crust and a crumb topping sandwiching fresh juicy berries.
What you need to make Raspberry Crumble Bars
There are three components to this summer dessert recipe:
- crumb topping
- crust
- jam
For the crumb topping and crust you'll need:
- butter
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- ground cinnamon
- salt
- vanilla extract
For the jam, you could either use store-bought jam, or make your own.
I recently shared the EASIEST 3-ingredient, 3-step homemade jam recipe on the blog. This easy homemade raspberry jam recipe is what I used to make the raspberry crumble bars pictured here!
How to make Raspberry Crumble Bars
Full ingredient measurements and detailed step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
To make these raspberry crumble bars, prepare a 9x13 baking pan. Either line it with parchment paper, or grease the bottom and sides with butter. Set aside.
Start by combining all of the ingredients for the crumb topping. Use your fingers to squish the butter into the dry ingredients and combine until you get course crumbles.
Set the crumb topping aside for later.
Then, make the crust.
Using a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar, just until combined. Then add vanilla. Scrape down the sides with a spatula in between mixing as necessary, to ensure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Slowly add it to the butter mixture in the stand mixer, and mix until the dough starts to form almost a ball.
Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Make sure the bottom is as even as possible. If you have enough dough, press some up the sides of the pan.
Next, top the crust with your homemade raspberry jam or store-bought jam.
Finally, sprinkle the prepared crumb topping evenly over the raspberry jam layer. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, just until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for at least 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Tips for making raspberry crumble bars
- If your jam is a tad on the liquidy side: feel free to add up to one tablespoon of cornstarch to the jam. This helps thicken it up a little. It also helps it stay in place when baking.
- To make a crunchier, thicker crumb topping: you could add oats to the mixture. Start with one cup, then add more oats if you prefer more. I wouldn't add more than two cups total to the crumb topping, as that will throw the ratio of the other ingredients off.
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Raspberry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Crust + Jam
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups
raspberry jam
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
Instructions
Make the Crumb Topping
- Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Using your hands or two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients. You can use your thumb and pointer finger to squeeze the butter and crumble it with the dry ingredients. Combine until you achieve small crumbles. Set aside.
Make the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Prep a 9x13 inch glass baking pan with either parchment paper or grease with butter.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on low-medium, just until combined. Add vanilla and combine. Scrape down the sides with a spatula in between mixing as necessary to ensure all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Slowly add it to the butter mixture in the stand mixer, and mix until the dough starts to form almost a ball.
- Gently press the dough into the prepared baking dish, using your hands to gently even out the dough across the whole dish and about ¼" up the sides. If you have a small rolling pin, you can also use that to even out the dough inside the pan.
Add the Jam, Crumb Topping, and Bake
- Once the dough is evened out at the bottom of the baking dish, spoon jam evenly over the dough.
- Top the jam layer with the prepared crumb topping.
- Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. The edges of the dough will be slightly browned when done.
- Allow too cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then slice into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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Erin @ Platings and Pairings] says
These look so super amazing and perfect for berry season! Plus I love that most of the ingredients are ones that are already in my pantry!
Catherine says
YESSSSS it's berry season! This is pretty much my favorite time of year. I say yes to using berries every which way, including yummy raspberry shortbread bars. Can't wait to try these!
Kathryn says
Perfect timing for berry season! I love raspberries, especially in bar form with some sugar! Loved making these.
Rachel says
Love the easy jam recipe with this! Such a delicious combination!
Andrea Metlika says
these are so good! I love raspberry in desserts and this is perfect for my family.
Adrianne says
I love the idea of using freshly picked fruit for these crumble bars! Yum - such a treat. thanks for sharing.
Emily Liao says
I had some leftover raspberries so this was the perfect recipe to make use of them! I love how crumbly these came out.