Raspberry Jam Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Sweet, tart and gooey, these raspberry jam bars are a happy marriage of blondies and jam.
Sweet, tart, and gooey, these raspberry jam bars are a happy marriage of blondies and jam, and I love them just as much with my morning coffee as I do for dessert. The top and bottom layers are made from the same batter but they bake up differently; the bottom is soft and chewy while the top is light and crisp. Feel free to swap out the raspberry jam for your favorite flavor but avoid anything too sweet—tart-flavored jams like cherry, blackberry or raspberry work best. Also, keep in mind that these bars are quick to throw together but they do take a few hours to set up and cool before cutting.
“Great recipe! Super easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. A double batch was devoured by 8 adults.”
What You’ll Need To Make Raspberry Jam Bars
- Pecans: Add crisp and nutty flavor to the top of the bars.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure and helps bind the ingredients.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes: Offer a hint of tropical flavor and nice texture contrast.
- Old-fashioned rolled oats: Contribute chewiness and heartiness to the bars.
- Baking powder: Helps the bars rise and achieve a light texture.
- Butter: Adds richness and moisture to the bars.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and aids in browning.
- Light brown sugar: Provides a very subtle caramel-like flavor and chewiness.
- Egg: Acts as a binder and adds moisture.
- Raspberry jam: Adds tart, fruity sweetness, and lovely color to the bars.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the pecans, flour, coconut, oats, salt, and baking powder.
Blend until the mixture has a fine, sand-like texture and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar.
Beat until light and creamy, a few minutes.
Add the egg.
Beat until well combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
Beat on low speed until just combined.
Place 2/3 of the dough over the bottom of the prepared baking dish, using an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. (If you don’t have an offset spatula, lightly wet your fingers and press the dough into an even layer.)
Spread the jam over the surface of the dough, leaving ¼-inch space between the jam and the sides of the baking dish so the bars won’t stick quite so much to the foil.
Pinch off 1-inch clumps of the remaining dough and scatter evenly over top of the jam. The dough won’t cover the entire surface; that’s okay.
Bake for about 35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
Let the jam bars cool in the baking dish on a rack for about 15 minutes. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and onto the countertop. Pull the foil away from the sides to prevent sticking, and then let sit until completely cool, a few hours. Cut into 16 bars. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Feel free to swap out the raspberry jam for your favorite flavor but avoid anything too sweet—tart jams like cherry, blackberry, or raspberry work best.
Yes, they can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in a covered container at room temperature.
Yes, they freeze nicely for up to 2 months. Prior to freezing, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the bars from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Yes, you can replace either of these ingredients with an equal amount of another ingredient that does not need to be avoided, such as the oats, nuts, or coconut.
You May Also Like
Raspberry Jam Bars
Sweet, tart and gooey, these raspberry jam bars are a happy marriage of blondies and jam.
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup raspberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil so that it overlaps the sides and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the pecans, flour, coconut, oats, salt, and baking powder. Blend until the mixture has a fine, sand-like texture. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and creamy, a few minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. The dough will be sticky. Place ⅔ of the dough on the bottom of the prepared baking dish, using an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer. (If you don’t have an offset spatula, lightly wet your fingers and press the dough into an even layer.) Spread the jam over the surface of the dough, leaving ¼-inch space between the jam and the sides of the baking dish so the bars won’t stick to the foil. Pinch off 1-inch clumps of the remaining dough and scatter evenly over top of the jam. The dough won’t cover the entire surface; that’s okay. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
- Let the jam bars cool in the baking dish on a rack for about 15 minutes. Using the foil overhang, lift the bars out of the pan and onto the countertop. Pull the foil away from the sides to prevent sticking, and then let sit until completely cool, a few hours. Cut into 16 bars. Cover the bars with foil and store at room temperature for up to two days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: These bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the bars from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 1 bar
- Calories: 192
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 53 mg
- Cholesterol: 27 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hello. I have made these many times and they are always great. Recently, I made them, froze them in a very airtight container for about a month, but when they came to room temperature, tasted good, but were more sandy/mealy than their usual crispness. They were fine before I froze them. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Hi Jane, I don’t think there’s really a way to avoid it — while they’re still good, they do lose some of their crispiness as they thaw.
Hello, this recipe sounds fab, but I’m unsure of the weights, as in UK we measure ingredients in Imperial or metric rather than in cups, or ‘sticks’ of butter, so I’m reluctant to guess the amounts and make a mess of it.
Hi Susan, The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include conversions to metric/weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe, and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the bars if you make them!
What can I use as a substitute for coconut flakes?
Also do you think this would work with strawberry jam?
Hi G, you can replace the coconut with more nuts or oats. And, yes, this will work with strawberry jam. Enjoy!
If I double recipe can I use a 9×13 pan?
Yes, that should be fine. The bake time may be slightly different, so keep a close eye on it.
So, these are amazing and at the risk of saying that I made something completely different, here goes. I LOVE peanut butter and fruit jam. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, I have fallen in love with marionberry jam. So, I used peanut instead of pecans and added more oats instead of coconut. UH-MAZ-ING!!! Tastes like a peanut butter and jelly bar!! Thank you for another winner!!
Nice. Will make again and experiment like some of the other reviewers did.
These sound wonderful. To make them a little healthier, can I replace the coconut with more oatmeal?
Definitely – enjoy!
These were absolutely delicious – my husband couldn’t stop raving about them. My only adjustment was to toast the pecans and to use toasted unsweetened coconut. I served it with vanilla ice cream – yum! So easy to make as well. I will definitely be adding this to the dessert/snack rotation.
I couldn’t locate my unsweetened coconut flakes, so I used the toasted and sweetened flakes I had on hand. I used what was left of several different berry jams I had in the fridge. The result was absolutely wonderful! I think the dough would be great made into a cookie by adding chocolate chips. Excellent!
Welp. I made these yesterday (substituted cherry jam). They were so good, they became dinner. Now they’re breakfast. They’re sublime. And super-simple to make. Dang, Jenn! THANK YOU!!!