Buttery and tender, these raspberry crumble bars are a simple yet scrumptious treat. Made with a thick layer of raspberry jam and melt in your mouth shortbread cookie layers, these jam shortbread bars are seriously addicting!
Buttery and tender, these raspberry crumble bars are a simple yet scrumptious treat. Made with a thick layer of raspberry jam and melt in your mouth shortbread cookie layers, these jam shortbread bars are seriously addicting!
Raspberry Crumble Bars
Hello, my loves. I know it’s a Monday, but I promise these raspberry crumble bars are about to make your day a whole lot better. Made with simple ingredients, these jam bars come together in minutes and keep for weeks, meaning you can whip up a big batch on a whim with the intention of giving some away and having a sweet treat for weeks. Of course you’ll eat them all within two days because they’re seriously addicting, but sometimes you just have to lie to yourself a little, y’know?
What are raspberry crumble bars?
Crumble bars, jam bars, shortbread jam bars, crumb bars…they go by many names, but are an iconically simple treat my family has been whipping up for years. A traditional shortbread crumb bar is made with (you guess it), shortbread cookie dough and preserves. Simply whip up your fav shortbread recipe and press 2/3 of the dough into a pan lined with parchment paper. Spread a thick layer of jam over the bottom layer and then top with crumble of the remaining batter. Bake it up to a perfect golden brown and you’re in buttery, jammy heaven. The tender shortbread perfectly complements the sugary chew of the jam for the ultimate sweet treat.
Ingredients for Raspberry Crumb Bars
These jam shortbread bars are crazy easy to make and only call for a few ingredients you probably already have on hand. As with any simple recipe, it’s crucial that you use high quality ingredients. Every ingredient shines through and will affect the finished jam shortbread bars.
Butter: The base of any good shortbread is some good buttahhh. Splurge on that good stuff (we love Vermont Creamery!) and you’ll be able to tell the difference in the melt in your mouth buttery crumb.
Sugar: These shortbread bars aren’t sickeningly sweet, but they do require a little sugar to create just the right amount of caramelization and chew.
Flour: You’ll want to use all purpose flour for the perfect crumb to your shortbread bars.
Salt: You’ll only need a little bit, but salt is so important to deepening the flavor. It will cut the sweetness just enough and make these jam bars seriously addicting.
Jam: We made these crumb bars with our favorite raspberry preserves (we love Bonne Maman!), but you could use any flavor you like. Blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, apricot…the options are endless.
Tips for the Best Raspberry Crumb Bars
This raspberry crumble bars recipe is super super simple, but these three tricks will guarantee you perfectly soft, melt in your mouth crumb bars!
Don’t overwork your dough: The key to good shortbread is dough that has as little gluten in it as possible. This will make a tender, melt in your mouth texture that you expect from shortbread. Your dough will be crumbly, but this is exactly what you want!
Use high quality preserves: You always make your own raspberry filling with fresh or frozen fruit, but you can also get the same gourmet, straight from a bakery jam bar taste from high quality preserves!
Bake them to perfection: With shortbread there’s a fine line between doughy and overdone. The bars should take about 25 to 30 minutes to bake and you”ll know they’re done when they’re just golden brown.
How to store jam shortbread bars
If you’ve ever received a tin of Christmas cookies, you probably know that shortbread is one of the few cookies that stays good for a pretty long time. Of course, they’ll taste best fresh, but they hold up much better than other softer cookies like chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies. You can keep these raspberry crumble bars in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or in the fridge for up to three weeks! Looking to save them even longer? Freeze them in a freezer safe plastic bag for up to three months!
Now hop to it! Join me in devouring these tasty jam shortbread bars! We can’t wait to hear how much you love them.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment on all sides and set aside.
In a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, flour, salt and vanilla and beat until the dough starts to come together, about 2 minutes. The dough will be crumbly, but this is what you want!
Press 2/3 of the shortbread dough into the prepared pan in an even layer. Top with the jam and spread into an even, thick layer. Crumble the remaining shortbread over the jam, making sure you leave some spots of jam poking through. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes or until they are just golden brown.
Allow the shortbread to cool before cutting into desired size and shape! Enjoy!
Keywords: jam bars, raspberry crumb bars, jam shortbread bars
Notes
Shortbread is a dry dough! Don’t be alarmed if your dough is crumbly. As it bakes the butter will melt and bind the dough together!
Delicious cookies, easy and fast to make. Everyone loves these! I baked it longer because I wanted less pale, the results are still amazing! Thank you!
These are the best bars I think I’ve ever made. I used salted butter & added almond extract to the dough & will do the same again the next time I also ended up using pineapple jam since I had a jar that needed to get used. It was a good choice. I’d actually buy pineapple jam again just to make these! So so good.
I love these bars! Easy and simple to make. I used 3/4 c orange marmalade with chocolate chunks on top. The second time I baked them I substituted 1/2 c cold hazelnut butter for 1/2c butter and melted 1/4 c orange marmalade with 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips w a tiny bit of cream and spread the cooled mixture on top with a few extra hazelnuts before adding streusel. Got Rave reviews. BTW smaller bars work better because the recipe is so rich.
These were amazing!! The only thing was it took me almost double the time to bake in the oven, 25-30 min was just not enough, the dough was still raw. I turned up the oven to 375 F and added an extra 20 min and they were perfect! Super soft and crumbly!
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!
I made these last night. They were amazing!! Everyone loved them. I think I’m going to try with apricot jam next.
★★★★★
Ooh apricot jam would be so tasty for spring! Enjoy!
Delicious cookies, easy and fast to make. Everyone loves these! I baked it longer because I wanted less pale, the results are still amazing! Thank you!
★★★★★
Enjoy them!! Thank you for taking the time to let us know you loved these–we so appreciate it 🙂
These are the best bars I think I’ve ever made. I used salted butter & added almond extract to the dough & will do the same again the next time I also ended up using pineapple jam since I had a jar that needed to get used. It was a good choice. I’d actually buy pineapple jam again just to make these! So so good.
★★★★★
I love these bars! Easy and simple to make. I used 3/4 c orange marmalade with chocolate chunks on top. The second time I baked them I substituted 1/2 c cold hazelnut butter for 1/2c butter and melted 1/4 c orange marmalade with 1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips w a tiny bit of cream and spread the cooled mixture on top with a few extra hazelnuts before adding streusel. Got Rave reviews. BTW smaller bars work better because the recipe is so rich.
★★★★★
These were amazing!! The only thing was it took me almost double the time to bake in the oven, 25-30 min was just not enough, the dough was still raw. I turned up the oven to 375 F and added an extra 20 min and they were perfect! Super soft and crumbly!
★★★★★