There is something uniquely delightful about a crumble topping. Whether it’s the granola on a parfait or the topping on a pie, I find the combination of oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon irresistible. These raspberry crumble bars are like a handheld, considerably less-messy version of a raspberry pie. The simple shortbread crust is robust, making it easy to carry the bar with you while at a party. It’s also easy to slice these into smaller pieces so you can share them with friends…or hide a few at the back of the fridge for enjoying after your guests leave.

Jump to Recipe

Do these raspberry crumble bars require quite a few steps? Yes – but don’t let that intimidate you. Each step is straightforward, and use ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard. While you could easily add an extra step and make your own raspberry compote for the center, it’s easier (and so much faster!) to use jam from your fridge. It will give you a great flavor without requiring any extra work.

My recipe was adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction’s raspberry streusel bars. The biggest difference between our two recipes? Mine is designed to be a thicker bar that is easier to lift from the pan and can be eaten as finger food without resulting in (too many) delicate crumbs.

Three raspberry crumble bars sit next to each other on a white surface; the two bars on the sides are only barely visible. Each bar features a shortbread base, a layer of raspberries and raspberry jam, and a streusel topping. The toping is iced with three thin lines of vanilla icing.

Ingredients

Crust

1 ½ cups unsalted butter (melted)
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

2 ¼ cups raspberry jam
1 pint fresh raspberries

Streusel

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsalted butter (cold)

Vanilla icing

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

A few notes on the ingredients…

If you don’t have raspberry jam, feel free to experiment with what you have at home. Any matching flavors of jam and fresh fruit – from strawberries to blueberries to thimbleberries – would taste delightful in this dessert.

As always, I prefer to use vanilla bean paste in my vanilla icing, as it lends a deeper flavor to the final product. If you don’t normally keep vanilla bean paste on hand, normal vanilla extract will work fine for this recipe – especially since these bars need very little icing.

How to make raspberry crumble bars

Start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees F. Line a 9” by 13” baking dish with parchment paper; allow a few inches of paper to hang over the sides, to allow for easy bar removal.

Next make your crust. Combine the melted butter with granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and flour. Press this mixture into your lined dish, pressing (with clean hands) to ensure it is an even thickness throughout. Pre-bake this crust for 15 minutes.

While the crust is baking, make the streusel. Combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a mixing bowl. Cube the butter into this mixture and combine using a pastry cutter. The streusel is ready once the texture is uniform.

Streusel topping, prior to the addition of cubed butter.

Once the crust is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool briefly. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Cover the slightly-cooled crust with raspberry jam. Place fresh raspberries across the surface of the preserves.

Spread streusel in an even layer over your raspberries.

Bake the raspberry crumble bars at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, or until the streusel is just starting to turn golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.

While the bars are cooling, whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Add additional milk until the icing reaches your preferred texture. I like to keep my icing fairly thin to making the drizzling process easier. (But hey – you could also use store-bought icing. It can be our secret.)

Once the raspberry crumble bars have cooled completely, drizzle with vanilla icing. Then slice, serve…and try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

I hope you enjoy these bars as much as our family has! If you try this recipe, please tag @WhiskAverseBaking on social media, or leave a message in the comments below.