raspberry crumble bars

A no-nonsense buttery raspberry crumble bar recipe, with less than 15 minutes of hands-on prep! Soft shortbread dough is used for both the base of the bars and the crumble on top with gooey raspberry in between.

Sometimes you need an easy dessert win, and these raspberry crumble bars are just that. The same dough is used for the bottom crust and top crumbs! To make it even easier, the raspberry jam can be your favorite store-bought brand. They’re the perfect balance of tart and sweet, and are layers of softness with just a little crunch!

This is a bar recipe for Summer picnics or your holiday dessert table or cookie exchange. You can even throw some fresh raspberries or blackberries on top of the jam for a burst of in-season freshness if you want! Keep on jammin’ with some raspberry jam infused recipes like my raspberry pound cake tiramisu, fig and raspberry challah, and these classic thumbprint cookies!

Professional Tips

• More is more when it comes to crumble topping. Give every inch a generous amount of streusel! The beauty of this recipe is that it allows for some to sink in and absorb some of the fruit juices and some to stay on top and get nice and crispy.
• Wait for the filling to bubble. Ensure the filling is bubbling before removing the crumble bars from the oven for the best texture.
• Let the bars cool completely before cutting for cleaner slices. The jam might run all over the place if you don’t let your bars set. They’ll still be delicious, but less beautiful.

Ingredients

• Butter: I use unsalted butter for baking, because you want to control the amount of salt you are adding. Every brand is different and it makes adjusting the recipe a challenge.
• Sugar
• Egg Yolk: The egg yolk is here to add fat, moisture and flavor. The fat from the yolk adds richness and helps hydrate the dough without activating the gluten. This keeps the crust soft and tender.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a beautiful flavor itself but it also boosts the flavor of other ingredients around it.
• All-Purpose Flour
• Kosher Salt
• Seedless Raspberry Jam: I prefer to bake these raspberry crumble bars with seedless raspberry jam like linzer cookies but seeded also works. For baking be sure to buy a thicker jam that will not spread too much, more similar to raspberry preserves. Bonne Maman and Smuckers seedless raspberry jam work nicely here.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Use a different berry jam or make your own. You can mix and match the types of berry jam you use in these crumble bars. I wanted to use Christmas jam in these bars but I could not find it for the life of me. You could also steal the homemade strawberry jam from my strawberry cake!
• Make them raspberry crisp bars. If you want to use old fashioned rolled oats and brown sugar, use the topping from my peach crisp recipe!
• Prep double the topping. You can double the topping as written, sprinkle on as much topping as you want and then just save the remaining crumb mixture in the freezer to make a cranberry crumble pie or strawberry crumble muffins. 
• Modify the dough. You can add some pizzazz to the dough with lemon zest, extracts, or 2 ¼ teaspoons (12g) of cinnamon.

How to Make Raspberry Crumble Bars

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 9×13 baking dish or a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.

This recipe makes one half-sheet pan of thin bars or one quarter-sheet pan of thicker chewy bars. 

Step 2: In a large bowl, or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until combined.

Step 3: Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.

Step 4: Press approximately ½ of the dough into the prepared baking pan and bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes or until a very light golden brown. Refrigerate the remaining dough.

The crust won’t look done after the first bake, because it’s not!

Step 5: Let the bottom crust cool. Then, spread the raspberry jam (I add a little extra) over the crust. Crumble the reserved dough over the top. Bake at 325°F until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Use a pastry blender for the topping to achieve a crumbly, homogenous mixture.

Step 6: Let the bars cool for at least 4 hours before cutting into squares. The bars cut best chilled, but it isn’t necessary!

Add fresh raspberries before the crumble topping or sprinkle some candied ginger on top right after it comes out of the oven. Gives it an extra level of excitement.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed bar cookie and brownies recipes, or switch from raspberries to blueberries and make these blueberry shortcakes next!