Sweet Raspberry Bars
There are some bakes that just feel like a warm hug, and these buttery Raspberry Bars are precisely that. They sit in that wonderful space between a biscuit and a cake, with a rich, crumbly shortbread base that melts in your mouth, a layer of sharp, sweet raspberry jam, and a generous crumble topping that toasts to a perfect golden-brown in the oven. It’s a bake that fills the kitchen with the most incredible aroma of butter and cooked fruit. This is my go-to recipe when I need something that looks and tastes impressive but comes together with minimal fuss.
What I believe makes these fruit bars so special is the texture. The base is firm enough to hold its shape, yet so tender it practically dissolves on the tongue. We achieve this by using cold butter, which creates little pockets of steam as it bakes, resulting in a lighter, more delicate crumb. The sharp tang from the raspberries cuts through the richness of the buttery base and topping, creating a beautifully balanced bite every single time. It’s a contrast that just works so well.
These cookie bars are ideal for an afternoon tea with friends, a bake sale where you want your contribution to disappear first, or simply as a weekend treat with a good cuppa. They are straightforward enough for a novice baker but deliver a result that will have everyone thinking you spent hours in the kitchen. If you enjoy bakes that are comforting and full of genuine fruit flavour, you are going to adore these.
Recipe Overview
This recipe creates wonderfully chewy and buttery Raspberry Bars with a crisp, golden crumble topping. The base is a simple shortbread-style dough that doubles as the crumble, which makes the whole process very efficient. I’ve found through testing that a high-quality, tangy raspberry jam gives the best flavour, preventing the bars from becoming overly sweet. Expect a delightful contrast between the rich, tender crumb and the bright, fruity filling.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35-40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Servings: 16 bars
- Difficulty: Easy
Why You’ll Love These Raspberry Bars
- Genuine Flavour: The taste is pure and authentic—you get the deep, buttery flavour of the shortbread crumb, which is immediately followed by the bright, slightly sharp tang of real raspberries. It’s not just a sugary bake; it’s a proper fruit dessert.
- Ready in Under an Hour: From gathering your ingredients to pulling a golden tray from the oven, the active work is minimal and the bake time is just over 30 minutes. It’s a fantastic recipe for when you want a homemade treat without a huge time commitment.
- Flexible Recipe: This recipe works beautifully with other fillings. Swap the raspberry jam for apricot, blackberry, or even a good quality lemon curd. If you’re a fan of zesty desserts, you might also love my Lemon Crumb Bars Recipe.
- Great for Any Occasion: These bars are sturdy enough to be packed for a picnic, elegant enough for a coffee morning, and comforting enough for a simple family dessert. They travel well and always get compliments.
- Family Tested: This recipe is a firm favourite in my house. My husband, who’s usually picky about desserts that aren’t chocolate, asked for seconds the first time I made them!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For these fruit bars, we’re using simple, high-quality pantry staples. The key is to use cold, unsalted butter; this is non-negotiable for achieving that perfect shortbread texture. I often use Lurpak unsalted butter for its flavour, but any good quality block butter will do. Avoid using margarine or baking spreads, as they contain more water and will alter the final texture.
- 280g plain flour
- 150g caster sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 225g cold unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 50g rolled oats (not instant or jumbo)
- 250g good-quality raspberry jam or conserve
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional, to mix with jam)
Marcus’s Tip: If your raspberry jam is very thick, warm it gently in a small saucepan for a minute or two. This makes it much easier to spread evenly over the base without disturbing the dough.
How to Make Raspberry Bars
The method for making these cookie bars is wonderfully straightforward. We create one single mixture that serves as both the base and the crumbly topping. This not only saves time but ensures the flavours are perfectly consistent throughout.
- Preheat and Prepare: First things first, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin with baking parchment, leaving some overhang on two sides to act as handles. This will make lifting the bars out later much easier.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt. This ensures everything is evenly distributed before we add the butter.
- Cut in the Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, a pastry blender, or a food processor on a pulse setting, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This process is key to a tender crumb, as explained in this helpful guide to making shortbread.
- Form the Dough: In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with the vanilla extract. Pour this into the flour and butter mixture. Use a fork or your hands to bring it together until it starts to form a clumpy, shaggy dough. Don’t overmix it; we want to keep it crumbly.
- Create the Base: Take about two-thirds of the dough mixture and press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking tin. Use the back of a spoon or your fingers to create a flat, compact layer.
- Add the Topping Ingredients: Add the rolled oats to the remaining one-third of the dough in the bowl. Gently toss with your fingers to combine. This will be your crumble topping. Adding oats gives the top a lovely chewy texture and helps it brown nicely.
- Layer the Filling: If you’re using it, stir the lemon juice into your raspberry jam. Spoon the jam over the base and spread it out into an even layer, leaving a small 1cm border around the edges to prevent the jam from catching and burning on the sides of the tin.
- Add the Crumble and Bake: Sprinkle the remaining oat and dough mixture evenly over the jam layer. It doesn’t need to be perfect; a rustic, uneven crumble looks best. Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is a lovely golden brown and the jam is bubbling at the edges.
- Cool Completely: This is a crucial step! Remove the tin from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. I find that leaving it for at least 2 hours is best. If you try to cut the bars while they’re warm, they will fall apart. Patience is key here. Once fully cooled, use the parchment handles to lift the bake from the tin, place it on a cutting board, and slice it into 16 squares.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Temperature Control: Always use cold butter straight from the fridge. Warm butter will melt into the flour, resulting in a greasy, tough base rather than a light, crumbly one. If your kitchen is warm, you can even pop the bowl of flour and butter in the fridge for 10 minutes before you start.
- The Secret Step: Don’t press the crumble topping down. I learned that lightly sprinkling it over the jam allows the heat to circulate better, creating a crunchier, more distinct topping rather than a dense, heavy lid.
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the dough (base and topping mixture) a day in advance. Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake, just press the base into the tin, add the jam, and sprinkle over the topping before baking as normal.
- Storage: These raspberry bars keep very well. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The texture of the crumble actually gets even better on day two, in my opinion.
Equipment You’ll Need
You don’t need any fancy gadgets for this recipe, just standard baking equipment.
- 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin
- Baking parchment
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk and spatula or wooden spoon
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using Warm Butter: As mentioned, this is the number one mistake. It will ruin the shortbread texture. The butter must be cold to create the flaky, tender layers we want in these buttery bars.
- Over-spreading the Jam: Spreading the raspberry jam all the way to the very edge of the tin can cause it to bubble up and burn against the hot metal. Leaving a small border helps contain the filling and makes for a cleaner bake.
- Skipping the Cooling Time: I know it’s tempting to dive in while they’re warm and gooey, but these bars need time to set. The buttery base and filling will be very soft when fresh from the oven. Cooling them completely allows the butter to firm up again, ensuring you can get clean, neat slices.
Delicious Variations to Try
This recipe is a brilliant canvas for customisation. Once you’ve mastered the classic raspberry version, why not experiment?
- Zesty & Nutty Version: Add the zest of one lemon to the dry ingredients and 50g of chopped almonds or pecans to the crumble topping for extra crunch and a bright, citrusy note.
- Vegan Option: You can successfully make these vegan. Use a good-quality, block-style vegan butter (like Naturli) and a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water) in place of the regular egg.
- Different Fruit: This recipe works wonderfully with other jams. Blackberry and apple, apricot, or even a good quality marmalade would be fantastic alternatives. If you love a variety of desserts, our Giant Skillet Cookie Recipe is another one that’s easily adaptable.
What to Serve With Raspberry Bars
These bars are truly delicious on their own, but they can easily be dressed up for a more substantial dessert.
- Clotted Cream or Custard: For a true taste of British comfort, serve a bar slightly warmed with a generous dollop of clotted cream or a drizzle of warm vanilla custard. The creaminess is a perfect foil for the sharp fruit.
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: A scoop of high-quality vanilla ice cream melting over a gently warmed bar is a classic pairing that never fails to satisfy.
- A Pot of Tea: Nothing beats a classic. These raspberry bars are an ideal companion to a cup of Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea for a perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raspberry Bars
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat and Prepare: First things first, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease and line a 20cm (8-inch) square baking tin with baking parchment, leaving some overhang on two sides to act as handles. This will make lifting the bars out later much easier.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, and salt. This ensures everything is evenly distributed before we add the butter.
- Cut in the Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using your fingertips, a pastry blender, or a food processor on a pulse setting, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This process is key to a tender crumb, as explained in this helpful guide to making shortbread.
- Form the Dough: In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg with the vanilla extract. Pour this into the flour and butter mixture. Use a fork or your hands to bring it together until it starts to form a clumpy, shaggy dough. Don't overmix it; we want to keep it crumbly.
- Create the Base: Take about two-thirds of the dough mixture and press it firmly and evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking tin. Use the back of a spoon or your fingers to create a flat, compact layer.
- Add the Topping Ingredients: Add the rolled oats to the remaining one-third of the dough in the bowl. Gently toss with your fingers to combine. This will be your crumble topping. Adding oats gives the top a lovely chewy texture and helps it brown nicely.
- Layer the Filling: If you're using it, stir the lemon juice into your raspberry jam. Spoon the jam over the base and spread it out into an even layer, leaving a small 1cm border around the edges to prevent the jam from catching and burning on the sides of the tin.
- Add the Crumble and Bake: Sprinkle the remaining oat and dough mixture evenly over the jam layer. It doesn't need to be perfect; a rustic, uneven crumble looks best. Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is a lovely golden brown and the jam is bubbling at the edges.
- Cool Completely: This is a crucial step! Remove the tin from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. I find that leaving it for at least 2 hours is best. If you try to cut the bars while they're warm, they will fall apart. Patience is key here. Once fully cooled, use the parchment handles to lift the bake from the tin, place it on a cutting board, and slice it into 16 squares.
Notes
I really hope you give these Raspberry Bars a try. They are such a reliable and rewarding bake, perfect for sharing with people you love. The combination of buttery shortbread and tangy fruit is a timeless one, and this simple recipe lets those flavours shine. Let me know how you get on in the comments below – I’d love to hear about it!
