One of my absolute favorite flavor combinations is jammy fruit and buttery shortbread. I reinterpret this combo over and over again in different ways, sometimes in tarts, cookies, and bars, and it never gets old.
Want more recipes like this? check out:
Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars,
Pink Lemonade Thumbprint Cookies,
Cherry Cheesecake Bars.
You’ll combine fresh raspberries with great raspberry preserves (or notes to make your own!) and lemon juice for an irresistible, slightly tart, fruity filling. I’ll show you a few pro tips to take this short list of ingredients in these Jammy Raspberry Crumb Bars to the next level.
When I’m making a recipe with jam, I always like to mix fresh fruit into the jam for added texture, flavor/tang, and bring out the brightness of the fruit. The lemon juice adds a tart, bright flavor as well, and works to enhance the natural flavors of the fruit, without overpowering it.
HOW DO YOU BROWN BUTTER?
Browning butter may seem intimidating but it’s very simple, and worth every extra minute of effort in the final product. You’re basically cooking the butter of medium heat for about 7-8 minutes. First, it will bubble up, then it will start look foamy on top, and then you’ll see the browned milk solids poking through the middle. That’s when you know you’re done! Hot tip: don’t walk away from the stove, and don’t try to multitask. You don’t want to get distracted and burn your precious salted butter. Stay close by, and whisk the butter very regularly for about 8 minutes.
Then pour the browned butter out of the pan, into a heatproof bowl, to stop the cooking. Brown butter instantly makes EVERYTHING taste richer, with real depth of fllavorbut don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself!
Quick and easy Homemade raspberry jam
to make your own raspberry jam, place 2 cups of fresh raspberries in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to breakdown the berries, and prevent the berries from burning on the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has liquified, simmer over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. The jam will reduce as it simmers, and it is ready when it has reduced by at least 1/2. Pour the jam into a heatproof and allow it cool completely.
I grow sweet red and golden raspberries
freshly picked
HOW TO MAKE EASY CRUMB BARS
The beauty of this recipe is that you’re making one shortbread dough for both the crust and the crumbly topping. I like to use the back of a measuring cup to firmly press down the dough for the bottom crust layer. Then, use a rubber spatula or better yet, a small offset spatula, to spread the raspberry filling evenly over the base. I add a bit more rolled oats to the topping before I crumble it on top for some extra chewiness. Very minimal effort, but very delicious bars!
Ingredients
- salted butter – I’m using salted butter because I really love the extra salt to bring out the flavor of the shortbread and sweet jam. We’re browning the butter here, but allow it cool for at least 15 minutes before mixing it into the rest of ingredients.
- unbleached all purpose flour – I always go for unbleached all purpose flour, specifically King Arthur Baking Company. I really appreciate their attention to quality and detail, and fair business practices.
- old fashioned rolled oats – go for old fashioned rolled oats here. The extra chewiness of the oats adds amazing texture and flavor to these simple bars. Don’t use instant or quick oats, they tend to lose their structure, and just turn into mush.
- pure vanilla extract – always always always use pure vanilla extract. I know it’s pricier, but the flavor it adds is so worth it. Some great vanillas are from Madagascar and Mexico.
- dark brown sugar – dark brown sugar is regular granulated sugar with added molasses. The Difference between dark brown and light brown sugar is the amount of molasses. Since molasses has a deep caramel flavor, I always love more of it! That being said, if you prefer light brown sugar, feel free to go for and use that here!
- raspberries – use fresh, in season berries if you can! That being said, you can also make these Jammy Raspberry Crumb Bars with frozen berries and store-bought raspberry preserves.
- kosher salt – I use Morton’s kosher salt in all of my recipes. The saltiness of a recipe is actually very important, especially in desserts. It doesn’t make the bars salty, rather enhances the other flavors of the raspberry crumb bars.
ingredients
Substitutions
I’m using raspberries here, but this recipe is incredibly adaptable. Feel free to substitute blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, apricots, even pears and apples. Crumbly Oat shortbread goes with any and all fruit, so get creative!
As far as the ingredients in the shortbread, you could also swap into a gluten free flour blend and gluten free oats. If you wanted to make it vegan, just use melted vegan butter instead of the browned butter.
pre-bake
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– happy baking, LeAnne
Jammy Raspberry Crumb Bars
tart and sweet raspberry jam sandwiched between layers of brown butter oat shortbread
Ingredients
Raspberry Filling
- 1 cup raspberry preserves 338g
- 1 ½ cups frozen or fresh raspberries 184g
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
For the crust + crumble topping
- ¾ cup 14 tablespoons salted butter 170g
- ½ cup dark brown sugar 106g
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups old Fashioned oats 120g
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour 192g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Add the salted butter to a small saucepan, over medium heat. Melt the butter, and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until it smells nutty, and begins to brown, about 6-7 minutes. Pour into a heatproof bowl, and set aside to cool slightly.
Make the filling: Add the fresh raspberries, raspberry preserves, and lemon juice to a small sauce pan, and cook on medium heat until the raspberries have mostly broken down. Use the back of a spoon to gently smash the strawberries. This should take about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
OPTIONAL: To make your own raspberry jam: place 2 cups of fresh raspberries in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to breakdown the berries, and prevent the berries from burning on the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has liquified, simmer over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. The jam will reduce as it simmers, and it is ready when it has reduced by at least 1/2. Pour the jam into a heatproof and allow it cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, add the browned butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, kosher salt, 1 cup of the oats, and all-purpose flour. Use a spoon to mix, until dough comes together, is crumbly, and there are no dry patches of flour.
Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the prepared baking pan. Use the bottom of a cup or measuring cup to press the mixture down into an even layer. Spread the raspberry filling over the bottom crust.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of oats to the remaining dough, and evenly sprinkle the crumbly mixture on top of the raspberry filling. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely, then slice into 9 large square bars, or 18 smaller bars.
Recipe Notes
to make your own raspberry jam, place 2 cups of fresh raspberries in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally to breakdown the berries, and prevent the berries from burning on the bottom of the pan. Once the mixture has liquified, simmer over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. The jam will reduce as it simmers, and it is ready when it has reduced by at least 1/2. Pour the jam into a heatproof and allow it cool completely.
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