Featured Comment:
“Wow! Made this as a treat for my brother-in-law’s birthday, he’s a fan of raspberry pie, and it was a huge hit! Delicious receipe. Easy to make, even without a food processor!” ~Nath
what you’ll need for raspberry almond bars
- FLOUR ~ all purpose
- ALMOND FLOUR ~ gives these bars a nutty texture
- SUGAR ~ granulated, although you could certainly use brown sugar if you like
- BUTTER ~ unsalted. If you use salted butter, omit the extra salt in the recipe
- RASPBERRIES ~ fresh or frozen (we’ll be making a quick compote for the filling so it doesn’t matter)
- SLICED ALMONDS ~ for the top
- CORNSTARCH ~ thickens the raspberry filling
- ALMOND EXTRACT ~ has amazing flavor
- BAKING POWDER AND SALT ~ baking powder gives the bars a lighter texture and the salt enhances all the flavors
what makes these raspberry almond bars different (and better!)
You have a lot of choices for raspberry almond bars out there, I get it, so why choose these?
- I’ve add a little bit of almond flour to the dough, which gives these bars a nice almost ‘sandy’ texture. You can easily replace the almond flour with more regular flour if you like.
- This recipe is made super quickly in the food processor, the dough comes together in seconds.
- Many recipes under-do the almond flavor because they assume almond extract is overpowering. I add enough so that you can really taste the almond throughout the bar, which is important because almond and raspberry is one of the best flavor combinations ever.
- My filling is made with actual raspberries. Recipes that call for jam as the filling will have a definite jam bar taste to them. If you really want a vibrant raspberry bar it’s best to make a quick filling from fresh (or frozen) berries. You can do that ahead, if you like.
- A little sprinkle of sugar over the top before they bake gives the top a little sweet crunch and sparkle.
- These bars have a lovely combination soft and crunchy texture which makes them so appealing.
how to make a fresh raspberry filling (aka a compote)
This couldn’t be easier and it will payoff in spades in your finished bars. You can’t get this explosive flavor out of a jar.
- Put rinsed berries and sugar into a saucepan and stir to combine.
- Heat on medium to medium high (stirring almost constantly) until the berries start to break down and release their juice. If necessary, add a small splash of water to get the process going.
- When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the berries have broken down almost completely into a saucy consistency. You can help them along by smashing them with the back of your spoon. Note: you can strain your sauce to remove seeds at this point, but I don’t bother.
- Make a slurry of cornstarch and a little water, mixing until smooth, and stir it into the sauce.
- Bring back to the boil and cook gently for a minute or two more, until the sauce has thickened. Note: It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Let cool and then chill completely in the refrigerator before using. You can do this a day or two ahead of time if you like.
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Raspberry Almond Bars
Crazy good raspberry almond bars that have a vibrant raspberry filling, lots of almond flavor, and a unique soft and crunchy texture ~ you can't go wrong with this recipe!
Servings: 20 servings
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
raspberry filling
- 1 lb fresh raspberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch or 1 tablespoon Instant Clearjel, Buy Instant Clearjel here
for the shortbread bars
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar (plus 1 teaspoon for sprinkling on top)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
to make the raspberry filling
- Put rinsed berries and sugar into a saucepan and stir to combine.
- Heat on medium to medium high (stirring almost constantly) until the berries start to break down and release their juice. If necessary, add a small splash of water to get the process going.
- When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the berries have broken down almost completely into a saucy consistency. You can help them along by smashing them with the back of your spoon. Note: you can strain your sauce to remove seeds at this point, but I don’t bother.
- Make a slurry of the cornstarch and a little water, mixing until smooth, and stir it into the sauce.
- Bring back to the boil and cook gently for a minute or two more, until the sauce has thickened. Note: It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Let cool to room temperature before using.
to make the shortbread bars
- Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking pan.
- Put the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add the cold butter (cut in pieces) egg, and almond extract to the bowl. Pulse until the mixture becomes crumbly, then pulse/process until the dough just starts coming together, but it will still be crumbly.
- Put 2/3 of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan. I like to scatter it all over the surface and then gently pat down with the back of a measureing cup, finishing with an offset spatula to smooth. Get it even, but don't compact it down super hard.
- Spread a thick layer of jam over the top of the crust. Note: you may not need all of the jam, use the rest on toast!
- Sprinkle the rest of the dough over the jam. Follow with the sliced almonds.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges.
Nutrition
Calories: 248 kcal · Carbohydrates: 28 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 14 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 34 mg · Sodium: 35 mg · Potassium: 111 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 15 g · Vitamin A: 305 IU · Vitamin C: 6 mg · Calcium: 40 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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I made these raspberry almond bars for my local library’s book/bake sale last year. I was asked to PLEASE make them for every future bake sale we have! I double the recipe now and they all disappear quickly.
So thanks from me and from our library bake sales!
Kelly
Would I be able to cut the recipe in half to make an 8×8 pan?
Yes, that should work.
Such a tasty way to use lots of raspberries! I made last night when it was cool enough to turn on my oven, and they turned out terrific for today’s potluck. An easy to follow, very delicious recipe! Thank you!
Wow! Made this as a treat for my brother-in-law’s birthday, he’s a fan of raspberry pie, and it was a huge hit! Delicious receipe. Easy to make, even without a food processor!
Thanks Nath!
Have you ever used almond paste in the dough or the filling?
No but you could do that, no problem.
Hi Sue,
I am planning these bars for a C’mas day cookie tray. I’ll be making the filling ahead but wonder if the bars can be made a day ahead and retain their texture?
Thanks,
Sheila
These bars, like all my shortbread crumble recipes, will keep, but the topping does tend to get slightly ‘damper’ as they sit over a few days. If you do make them a day ahead, don’t cover them with plastic, just let them sit, very loosely tented with foil, on the counter. Merry Christmas!
Could you use plain flour in lieu of the almond flour?
Yes.
I don’t have a food processor . Is there another way of doing it?
Yes, you can do this by hand, but it will help to have a pastry cutter, which breaks up the butter to combine with the flour, etc. You can even use your fingers to break up the butter as you combine it with the other ingredients.
Can you substitute fresh blueberries? Would you have to adjust the sugar? Thank you
Blueberries would be lovely and I don’t think you’d have to adjust anything.
Can you use a raspberry pie filling?
You certainly can, and you could also use raspberry jam, but trust me, the filling made from fresh raspberries is incredible.