Raspberry oat bars are buttery, crumbly cookie oat bars layered with a sweet, tart and jammy raspberry filling. These cozy oat raspberry bars are easy to make and the perfect anytime treat.
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Why Make This Recipe
I love making cookie bars. They are a great way to make a quick and simple treat anytime you need a sweet treat. My Strawberry Bars, Date Bars and No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars. After making these raspberry bars, I think I may just have a new favorite dessert.
- Simple pantry ingredients. You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a both the crust and crumble topping as well as the raspberry filling for these easy raspberry oat bars.
- You love sweet and tart treats. If being incredibly easy to make wasn’t reason enough, these raspberry crumb bars are the perfect balance of textures and flavors.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Before I show you how to make raspberry oat bars, make sure you have these simple ingredients ready to go.
- All Purpose Flour: To make these raspberry crumble bars gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Oat flour would also make a delicious substitute for all purpose flour.
- Oats: Heartier types of oats such as old fashioned, rolled oats or steel cut oats are the best options for these raspberry bars.. If needed, use gluten free oats.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other recipes.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely background flavor to these raspberry crumble bars.
- Egg Yolk: This gives the oat cookie crust and crumb topping a bit more chewiness. If needed, omit the egg yolk to have a crunchier raspberry cookie bar.
- Raspberry Jam: Use your favorite raspberry jam or see the variation section to make your own homemade raspberry jam.
Variations
- Vanilla or Lemon Glaze: Mix 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) lemon juice or milk until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over the cooled raspberry crumble bars.
- Homemade Raspberry Filling: Add 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, ? cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon cornstarch to a large pan. Mix well to fully coat the berries. Cook the berries over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes or up to 10 minutes if using frozen raspberries, mashing the berries while they cook. Cook the berries just long enough for them to break down. Remove the raspberry filling to cool to room temperature before using them in the bars. Measure out about 1 cup of cooled jam to use in the bars.
How To Make
Learn how to make raspberry oat bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides. Make the butter oat cookie crust and crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a food processor. Pulse 2 -3 times to combine the ingredients. Pulse in cubes of cold butter until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Pulse in the oats, egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture starts to clump together.
- Evenly press half of the oatmeal cookie mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the raspberry jam or cooled raspberry filling on top of the prepared crust. Top the raspberry jam filling with the remaining oat crumble mixture. Make sure to cover as much of the raspberry filling as possible, but spots of exposed filling is fine.
3. Bake the oat raspberry bars for 30 - 40 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown with edges of the crust pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The raspberry filling will thicken and bubble. Cool the crumble bars in the pan for 1 hour. If the bars are too soft to easily transfer from the pan after 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the fridge to set for another hour. Once the bars are set, top with powdered sugar, vanilla icing drizzle or enjoy as is.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Make the dough for the crisp bars up to 2 days in advance. Store the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using in the recipe.
- Store: Keep these raspberry oat bars covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 - 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Make sure the oatmeal cookie bars with raspberry filling are completely cooled to room temperature. Cut the bars into your preferred amount of pieces. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the bars to the fridge to thaw overnight. Enjoy these easy raspberry crumble bars straight from the fridge. If you prefer them warm, heat your desired number of pieces in the microwave in 15 second increments until the bars are warmed through.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in deliciously buttery cookie bars.
- Use an 8x8 pan metal pan. This recipe was created using an 8x8 aluminum pan. Double the recipe and make in a 9 x 13 pan.
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper. This helps to release the strawberry cookie crumble bars from the pan more easily.
- Fully cool the bars. In order for these dessert bars to hold together, they need to fully cool. Ideally these bars would cool for 1 hour at room temperature and an hour in the fridge.
FAQs
Are raspberry oat bars gluten free?
This recipe for raspberry oatmeal bars can be made gluten free by using gluten free flour and gluten free oats.
Can I use fresh or frozen raspberries in these oat crumble bars?
If you prefer to use fresh or frozen raspberries instead of raspberry jam, follow my strawberry bars recipe.
Can I make this raspberry oat bars recipe in a different pan?
Double the recipe and bake these bars in a 9 x 13 pan.
Other Raspberry Recipes to Try
If you try this Raspberry Oat Bars recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Raspberry Oat Bars
These raspberry oat bars are soft and buttery crumble bars and layered with a sweet, tart and jammy raspberry filling. They’re simple, easy to make and are the perfect homemade treaty for breakfast, snacks, or dessert.
Equipment
- 1 food processor optional, see notes
- 1 pan to make raspberry filling see notes
- 1 8x8 (20 cm) aluminum pan
- 1 sheet parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1½ cups (135 g) old fashioned or rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 cup raspberry jam see notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides.
- Make the butter oat cookie crust and crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a food processor. Pulse 2 -3 times to combine the ingredients.1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pulse in cubes of cold butter until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Pulse in the oats, egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture starts to clump together.½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ cup (113 g) cold unsalted butter, cubed, 1½ cups (135 g) old fashioned or rolled oats, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract , 1 large egg yolk
- Evenly press half of the oatmeal cookie mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the raspberry jam or cooled raspberry filling on top of the prepared crust. Top the raspberry jam filling with the remaining oat crumble mixture. Make sure to cover as much of the raspberry filling as possible, but spots of exposed filling is fine.1 cup raspberry jam
- Bake the oat raspberry bars for 30 - 40 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown with edges of the crust pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The raspberry filling will thicken and bubble.
- Cool the crumble bars in the pan for 1 hour.If the bars are too soft to easily transfer from the pan after 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the fridge to set for another hour. Once the bars are set, top with powdered sugar, vanilla icing drizzle or enjoy as is.
Notes
Store: Keep these raspberry oat bars covered in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 - 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Homemade Raspberry Filling: Add 3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon cornstarch to a large pan. Mix well to fully coat the berries. Cook the berries over medium heat for 4 - 5 minutes or up to 10 minutes if using frozen raspberries, mashing the berries while they cook. Cook the berries just long enough for them to break down. Remove the raspberry filling to cool to room temperature before using them in the bars. Measure out about 1 cup of cooled jam to use in the bars.
No Food Processor: The food processor makes assembling the bars super fast and easy, but you can also make them in a bowl by hand or with an electric mixer. Whisk the dry ingredients together, then work in the cubes of cold butter (like making a pie crust or shortbread cookie dough), followed by the vanilla and egg yolk. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
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