Raspberry Jam Bars
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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.
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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
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- 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.
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Jenn, Can you use fresh berries instead of jam/ preserves? Thank you
I didn’t make them yet… certainly will this weekend!
I don’t think fresh berries will work here (it won’t be sweet enough and the berries may generate too much juice for the crust). Sorry!
Was asked to bring dessert to a bbq, so of course I immediately went to your site! These were so easy to put together. I used strawberry-raspberry jam and slightly less sugar, since I only had sweetened coconut. We all enjoyed them and I will make again for sure. Thanks for another great recipe 🙂
can these be made with almond or coconut flour? would you need to adjust anything else?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t made these with anything but all-purpose flour, so I can’t say for sure, but I think it will work. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you try them!
I made these and substituted stevia for the white sugar. I had homemade freezer raspberry jam. They are delicious! Will definitely make them again!
Haven’t seen any suggestions on storing these. I’m baking for a large group and will serve them a couple of days after baking. I’ve tried keeping in a well sealed container, but the jelly just moistens the crunch out of the bars. However, they are delicious when freshly baked! Comments, please.
Hi Lydia, Because these have the jam, these will inevitably moisten up a bit when they sit for a few days. You could try freezing them, but they are still likely to lose a bit of their crunch once defrosted.
I made many batches of these over the holidays and am about to make another batch today. It is AWESOME exactly as the recipe is. I imagine you could use other flavor jams as well. I had a friend keep bugging me for the recipe until I finally gave it to her. She too loves Jenn’s recipes and her website since learning about them. The problem with these is that they’re sooooo good you’ll just want to keep eating them. Very easy to make following the fabulous directions. Came out of the pan easily using the aluminum foil and cut well too.
Everyone loved these bars! The recipe is quick and easy and I followed it exactly as written with one exception—I used sweetened coconut since that’s all I had, but the crust did not seem too sweet at all. Next time, however, I might add a little lemon juice or zest to the jam or try blackberry preserves instead. The raspberry jam was perhaps just a bit too sweet. Thanks, Jenn, for another wonderful recipe.
I used 4 fruit preserves from Costco, and these came out perfectly.
Made 3 batches for a cookie exchange party this week – HUGE hit of course 🙂
Did each batch with different jam – blueberry, cherry & raspberry. Used almonds for the cherry batch as I ran out of pecans but they worked out fabulous! 10 min before they were done baking I dusted the top of them with white sanding sugar for added holiday sparkle.
Thanks as always Jenn!
A great dessert for holidays, if they last that long if done ahead of time. A few alterations I have made:
No nuts as they can be an alergic problem; I use 50/50 steel cut oats w/quaker, it does take a bit longer but add the crunch; Finally dark chocolate chunks I sometimes double the recipe for 1/2 chocolate. Paul