Old Fashioned Raspberry Bars
A buttery, cookie-like crust and topping with raspberry filling makes these Old Fashioned Raspberry Bars a hit every time. Add the glaze on top for an extra festive look and a splash of sweet.
This classic recipe is a success every time. The crust is chewy and holds together nicely, while the filling is sweet and full of flavor. Delicious.
Making Old Fashioned Raspberry Bars
Preheat the oven to 350° and line an 8 x 8″ or 9 x 9″ baking dish with either foil or parchment paper. NOTE: The foil needs to be long enough on two sides to use as handles to remove the dessert from the dish.
Then, grease that foil or parchment paper.
Next, start with the crumb mixture. This will be the crust on the bottom, as well as the top.
Combine all of the ingredients for the crumb mixture: flour, brown sugar, pecans, butter, and an egg.
If your brown sugar is hard, you can substitute granulated sugar, but brown sugar is my go-to.
Once that’s mixed together, the dough will be coarse. Scoop out one and a half cups of the crumb mixture, and set it aside. That reserved amount will be the topping.
Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of your baking dish.
You can press it flat, or let it come up the sides just a bit.
Next, spread the raspberry preserves over the crust within 1/2 inch from the edge.
A quick note: you can use different flavors of preserves. For instance, switch out the raspberry jam for strawberry or blueberry. You can even go half/half like you would a pizza, (e.g., strawberry on the left half, raspberry on the right half). This way, everyone’s happy.
Lastly, the reserved crumb mixture needs to go on top.
Adding the Top
A few ways to do this:
- Crumble the mixture into random sized pieces and spread them evenly over the top. (Think rocky, but edible.)
- Scoop a tablespoon into the palm of your hand and slightly flatten it out. Lay the flat pieces over the top, overlapping in areas. (Looks rustic, but with pops of raspberry showing through.)
- Or, get fancy and roll out pieces into ropes or flat pieces and weave them together. That’ll have to be a whole other blog for that one. LOL
Ok, once the top layer is on, place into the preheated oven for 40 – 50 minutes, or until the top is a golden brown.
Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the glaze in a small bowl. Just combine powdered sugar and milk, pour into a small baggie, and snip the tip.
Then use the handles to lift the dessert out of the dish. Peel the foil off the bottom and set it on a cutting board to cut into bars.
I cut mine into 16 pieces, but you can make them bigger or smaller. Drizzle the glaze over the top and dive in. Yummy!
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days, or you can always freeze some for later.
More Dessert Recipes:
- German Apple Cheesecake
- Brown Butter Pecan Cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Trifle
- Fruit Filled Pastry
- Pomegranate Lemon Cream Pie
Or, take your time and check out all the desserts in the Dessert Category by clicking HERE.
If you tried and love this recipe, please leave a 5-star rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment below. Thank you so much.
Old Fashioned Raspberry Bars
Ingredients
Crumb Mixture:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, (or granulated)
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 large egg
Filling:
- 3/4 cup raspberry jam, (or other flavor of your choice)
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 – 4 tsp. milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" baking dish with foil or parchment paper. Two sides should be long enough to be used as handles. Grease the foil or parchment paper.
- In large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and pecans. Add butter and egg. Stir until mixture is combined and appears crumbly. Remove 1 1/2 cups of mixture, set aside to be used as topping later.
- Press remaining crumb mixture into baking dish. Press flat, or slightly up the sides. Spread filling over crust within 1/2 inch of edge.
- Use remaining crumb mixture as topping. Either crumble evenly across top, or scoop 1 tablespoon at a time into your hand to flatten. Lay pieces on jam, overlapping for jam to show through in spots.
- Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack.
- In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and milk together and pour into baggie. Snip tip. Remove bars from dish using foil handles. Cut into bars and drizzle glaze over top. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Old Fashioned Raspberry Bars
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