The BEST Raspberry Crumble Bars recipe! Just wait until these bites of buttery shortbread crust, sweet raspberry jam filling, and crazy delicious oat-streusel topping explode in your mouth. It's an easy raspberry dessert that's great for making ahead and freezing.
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This dessert takes raspberry shortbread bars to a whole new level! Raspberry Crumble Bars are everything a cookie bar should be:
✅ Super easy to make while being make-you-famous kind of delicious.
✅ Great for a crowd.
✅ Perfect for popping in the freezer and grabbing out at the last minute.
The recipe begins with a standard shortbread bar topped with a quality store-bought jam. Homemade would be divine, but I keep things simple and buy a good one from the store. Then add a buttery crumb topping with oats inspired by the top layer on fruit crisps. The absolute perfect raspberry desert!
🧈 Ingredients
Butter: Salted or unsalted, I don’t find that it matters.
Sugar: Just white granulated sugar.
Vanilla: Real vanilla, please.
Salt: Always kosher salt. 😉
Flour: All-purpose flour.
Raspberry jam: Buy the best quality jam you can find. It should only have raspberries, sugar, and pectin.
Oats: Old-Fashioned or quick cooking. Steel Cut oats do not work.
Brown sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar are delicious.
Cinnamon: Please don't skip this. It adds the perfect dimension to the topping.
⏲ How to make Raspberry Crumble Bars
Let me break this down. First, pulse the crust ingredients in a food processor (affiliate) and press into the 9x9 pans (affiliate). Next spread the layer of jam across the top of the crust. Finally, mix together the crumble topping and sprinkle over the jam. Bake. Cool. Cut. Eat.
Sounds pretty easy, right? You can't really complicate raspberry shortbread bars. But you'll know for yourself if you make them this week. I promise you won't be sad you did. 😉
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This recipe makes two 9x9 pans or one 9x13 pan, which both yield about 16 bars depending on how large you cut the bars. If you need more to serve a large group, I suggest doubling the recipe and baking in batches.
Since shortbread can easily become too tough, I recommend making one batch of the crust at a time. You can make a double batch of crumb topping all at once and spread it evenly on the pans.
🔪 How to cut bars neatly
Cutting these shortbread bars into pretty little squares does not make them taste better...but it does make them pretty! If pretty is up your alley, here are my go-to tips for cutting even bars.
- First, partially freeze them. It makes them cut more cleanly.
- Second, get out your ruler. This is not a time for winging it. Before making your lines be sure to cut off the very edge of the bar all the way around. Then measure what is left and divide by how many pieces you want per side.
- Third, use this serrated Swiss paring knife (affiliate). Yes, you can use other knives, but I promise this little gem is AMAZING. If you must use a different knife be sure to use a serrated blade in this case.
- Fourth, saw carefully. Yes, I use a sawing motion on these bars. It helps keep the crumble topping in place.
- Finally, wipe the blade off frequently. That will help keep the sides clean and help keep everything in its place.
🙋 Questions & Answers
These are great for freezing ahead. After cutting into squares, place the bars in a container with a flat bottom and separate the layers with parchment or wax paper. Then cover with a lid or tightly wrap in plastic wrap and foil to keep them fresh. Thaw in the refrigerator a day before or on the counter for a few hours before serving.
The recipe is written for two 9x9 pans (these are the 9x9 pans (affiliate) pictured) simply because I find that they cut more evenly. However, feel free to make them in a 9x13 pan instead. They will be a tiny bit thicker and will need to bake a few minutes longer.
Feel free to substitute with your favorite jam. My top choices are blackberry jam, strawberry jam, or even cranberry jam. You can easily make this crumb bar recipe appropriate for any season of the year!
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Line the pan with parchment like a sling (see photo above). To keep the parchment in place use binder clips.
- In order to get an even layer of crust, tamp in with flat measuring cup or tart tamper.
- The easiest way to spread the jam evenly is with a small offset spatula (affiliate). We LOVE ours and use it all the time.
- Be careful not to overwork the crust or the topping. Gently pulse it in the food processor.
🍰 More delicious desserts
- Are you lemon crazy? Try this Lemon Yogurt Cake. I love a leftover piece for breakfast. Shhh...our little secret.
- You can't go through life without making this EASY Apple Crisp Recipe. So tasty and comforting!
- For more summer berry flavor, try this easy Triple Berry Cobbler made with cake mix. Perfect for summer time!
👋 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Raspberry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter slightly softened
- baking spray
Filling
- 24 ounces raspberry jam store bought or homemade
Topping
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare two 9x9 pans by lining them with parchment paper like a sling. Use binder clips to hold in place if necessary. Spray sides and bottom with baking spray and set aside. (For 9x13 instructions, see notes.)
- In a food processor, layer in the crust ingredients in the order listed. Gently pulse the ingredients together until they look like large crumbs and everything is evenly mixed (see photo in post). Pour crust mixture evenly into the pans. Use your fingers, a flat bottomed measuring cup, or a tart tamper to press crust in evenly.
- Spread jam evenly over crust.
- In food processor gently pulse topping ingredients. You are looking for relatively uniform crumb pieces with no dry spots remaining. Sprinkle evenly over jam layer.
- Bake on center rack of oven for 45 minutes. The top should be lightly golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.
Notes
- Line the pan with parchment like a sling (see photo in post). To keep the parchment in place use binder clips.
- In order to get an even layer of crust, tamp in with flat measuring cup or tart tamper.
- The easiest way to spread the jam evenly is with a small offset spatula like this one.
- Be careful not to overwork the crust or the topping. Gently pulse it in the food processor.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
SDR says
I had such high hopes for this recipe. Unfortunately the time it bakes for is far too long. Mine are burned and bubbling and the topping completely melted into the raspberry jam
Misty says
So sorry to hear these didn't work for you. We have made these many times without these problems, but I would like to help problem solve for you. Do you mind telling me what size pan(s) you used and what material it was made out of? And what brand of raspberry jam you used? Thanks!
Ina Patience says
This is a lovely detailed recipe. Such a help for beginner bakers.
The bars look so good.
Misty says
Thanks! We hope the instructions and tips help you be super succesful (definitely worth it for these bars). Enjoy!
Karen says
Love these!