Raspberry Bars With Oatmeal Crumble

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These easy raspberry bars are an addictive treat! With a delicious oatmeal crumble and a fine balance of tart and sweet flavor, the chewy and crispy texture will make you fall in love.

Made to perfection, these bars will for sure have you coming back for more.  

They serve well as a grab-and-go breakfast, dessert, or snack. These raspberry crumble bars are guaranteed to be a hit as they are decadently rich and easy to make.

We all love to treat ourselves to indulgent sweet treats, and the experience becomes even better when the treats are simple and easy to make. And these raspberry bars fall right in that line as they are soft, delicious, buttery, and nutritious.  

They will instantly become your favorite dessert or breakfast option.

The combination of sugar, oats, and the sweet-tart of the homemade raspberry filling is the makeup for a scrumptious treat.

Raspberry Bars

The bars are ready within thirty-to-forty minutes, and as far as the flavor is concerned and previously mentioned, it’s a fine balance of tart and sweet flavor. The chewy and crispy texture will for sure make you fall in love.

With a sweet and buttery oatmeal crumble, these bars have it all. 

The raspberry crumble bars are a perfect choice for those who want an easy fruity dessert to complete their meals. 

As mentioned, these bars are prepared with a delicious and super easy homemade raspberry filling and oats base and crumbled top. 

Although they have a great texture contrast, the base of the bars is dense and buttery, but the homemade filling is jam-like and soft.  

These bars can also be customized to fit your palette. Feel free to add strawberries or blueberries to the raspberry mixture to add depth of flavor. 

Raspberry Bars Recipe Ingredients

For a terrific texture and contrast, here’s what you’ll need to make these raspberry bars.  The recipe card below lists the full recipe with the exact measurement. 

• Raspberries – You’ll need at least 18 oz. of fresh raspberries.  you can also use frozen raspberries if that’s what you have on hand, however, fresh fruits are higher in vitamins and minerals. They also have more nutrition and flavor.
• Oats & Flour – You’ll need plain quick oats and all-purpose flour. These two ingredients are the base of the crumble
• Butter – I highly recommend using unsalted butter, as it allows you more room to add salt to balance the sugar. If you decide to use salted butter, I recommend you omit the ½ teaspoon salt in the actual recipe. 
• Sugar – Granulated sugar will work. 
• Cornstarch – This will help the filling to stay intact and thicken. 
• Baking Powder – This will help the crumble mixture rise a bit when baking and give it a crisp texture.
• Juice from 1 lemon – The juice from one lemon works well with the fruit.
• Salt And Vanilla – Both will help add depth of flavor to the jam.

Add-Ins

For more texture and flavor combinations, consider adding nuts, pumpkin seeds, peach or peach jam, or chocolate chips to help elevate the raspberry bars. 

This hearty mixture provides a cookie-like sandwich to your crumble bars. 

Which oats are best for baking?

For this recipe, I used quick oats as they are cut into minor pieces, and in my opinion, make baking easy. 

There are times however, I have used rolled oats to bake. 

Rolled oats are flattened and whole with a chewy texture. 

Old-fashioned oats will work, but the ending result of your raspberry bars will be a heartier texture.

Meal-Prep This Recipe

This recipe is so simple to make ahead for breakfast or a snack.  

The bars will keep well in the fridge for a week or longer, and they will keep well in the freezer for about 6 months. 

You can also add them as part of your meal plan menu as they are an easy grab-and-go breakfast option. 

Spreading the jam

The jam is sandwiched between the oats mixture. The first half of the oat mixture is layered on the bottom of the pan to create the base. 

The other half of the oats mixture is layered on top of the jam.  

How To Make The Bars

1. Prepare the oven and baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×9-inch or 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray then line it with parchment paper. Be sure to leave the parchment paper hanging off the sides to make it easy to lift out the bars.
2. Prep Raspberries: In a large bowl or colander, rinse the raspberries for at least 1 minute. Allow the liquid to drain completely. See notes below for drainage. 
3. Make the fruit filling. Transfer the raspberries to a large bowl then add the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix well to combine. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the water and corn starch together to create a slurry. Set aside. Over medium heat, transfer the raspberries to a medium saucepan, and add the water. Once it starts to bubble, add the slurry and lemon juice. Constantly stir to avoid sticking to the bottom. Once the jam has reduced, remove it from the heat and set aside. 
4. Prepare the crumble mixture. Mix the oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, butter, and salt together into a crumble-like mixture. Press two-thirds of the crumble into the bottom of a 9×9-inch pan (for bars) or in a 9×13 inch pan (for thinner bars) lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Assemble the bars. Layer the homemade jam over the oats crumble, and layer with the remaining oat crumble. 
6. Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 40 minutes to 60 minutes or until lightly browned. I baked my bars for 45 minutes.
7. Allow to cool, cut, and serve. Remove the bars from the oven, allow to cool. Cool entirely over the counter or in the fridge for a few hours. Once cooled, you should be able to remove pull up on the edges of the parchment paper to cut into bars. 

What To Pair With Raspberry Crumble Bars?

In most cases, raspberry crumble bars are enjoyed on their own as a snack or treat. However, as we just mentioned, enjoying it with a scoop of ice cream will offer an apt contrast of texture and temperature. 

Another option is adding a whipped cream dollop for a creamy element that everyone will love. 

These bars are also great with yogurt or lemon curd too!

How To Store Them?

Once you are done with baking, let the bars cool down, before cutting into them.  

Place the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. However, if you want to extend the shelf-life to months, they will last in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Common Questions

Chef’s Tips

• Use a colander or sieve to rinse your bars. Allow your bars to drain while in the colander or sieve, or simply lay them flat on a clean kitchen towel. 
• If you would like to make this recipe vegan, substitute the butter with vegan butter.  
• If you are allergic to gluten, be sure to double-check the label for gluten-free certified oats.
• Keep all leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
• Using parchment paper to line the baking dish will cut down on cleaning time. 
• These raspberry crumble bars serve well with vanilla ice cream or lemon curd. 
• Be sure to check your bars after 40 minutes of baking, leave the bars in the oven to bake longer to achieve the golden color. 

More Fun Recipes To Try

After trying these raspberry bars, consider trying this strawberry cake, this air fryer Oreos, this Haitian Rum Cake, this Strawberry Blueberry Pie, Death by Chocolate Cake, or this Haitian Tablet (Peanut brittle).

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