This recipe forΒ raspberry crumble barsΒ is healthy, full of good-for-you ingredients, and delicious raspberry fruit flavor! With 3 hearty layers β an almond flour shortbread crust, homemade raspberry chia jam, and a nut and coconut crumble topping β theseΒ Paleo dessert barsΒ are a terrific treat.
Healthy and Delicious Raspberry Crumble Bars!
So are you looking for healthy homemade dessert recipes? check. Looking for a nutritious afternoon snack or pick me up? check, check. Looking for something easy to pack in your kids’ lunchbox? check, check, check.
Looking for something that everyone will think tastes so delicious? check….BOOM. These Raspberry Crumble Bars are exactly what you need.
Let’s talk about a bit of nutrition too, shall we? As a nutritionist, my goal for making healthy treats is to make them absolutely delicious, without the junk ingredients! Similar to my healthy strawberry-lemon dessert bars, we use real fruit to naturally sweeten these bars. Here is what I else I love about these Raspberry Crumble Bars:
- They are refined sugar-free, making them a perfectly legit breakfast item.
- Omega 3’s: in case you’ve been sleeping under a rock for about 10 years, WE NEED MORE OMEGA 3’s!!! So I packed these with walnuts and chia seeds, two fabulous sources.
- Protein: these bars contain almond flour to give you a boost of protein and more healthy fats.
These bars are just pure magic. Nourishing your your tummies and making them so incredibly happy with three moist layers of cookie-ish goodness, fresh raspberry chia jam, and a crumbly crust! I am pretty sure cookie-ish is not a word, but just go with it…..
Because cookies make me happy. And so do these bars!
How to make Paleo Raspberry Crumb Bars:
Here are the ingredients we will need for these bars:
- frozen raspberries
- lemon
- honey
- chia seeds
- almond flour
- coconut flour
- coconut oil
- maple syrup
- sea salt
- walnuts
- shredded coconut
- coconut sugar
The directions:
- We actually begin by making the jam. You will add the frozen raspberries, lemon, lemon zest, and honey to a small sauce pan over medium heat and cook. Once the raspberries get hot, begin to break them up and reduce heat to simmer. After a few minutes, remove from heat and add in the chia seeds. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then place in a glass jar or container in the fridge to cool completely.
- While jam is cooling, make the shortbread layer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and sea salt in a food processor or blender. Pulse until mixture is crumbly and slightly dough like.
- Press the mixture down in a parchment lined 8 inch square pan. Transfer to the oven to bake for 13-15 minutes.
- Remove the shortbread layer from the oven. Let it cool for 15 minutes or so (keep the oven hot), and spread the jam over the shortbread layer. Make the crumb topping by placing the walnuts, shredded coconut, coconut sugar, and coconut oil in the food processor and pulsing until crumbly.
- Now spread the crumb mixture over the top of the jam layer. Bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden.
- Let cool completely before cutting into squares and enjoying.
My kids dug into these quickly as an afternoon snack and were quite excited that they could also have the same meal for breakfast. The hubs enjoyed his with a cup of coffee this morning, and I’ll be digging in for another this afternoon! These bars are super portable and make a nice addition if you are on the go!
Ingredient swaps:
- Berries: want to use something other than raspberries? Blueberries, cherries, and strawberries work perfectly here! You can use fresh or frozen.
- Nuts: Feel free to use pecans or any other nut in place of the almonds or walnuts.
- Honey: to make these Vegan, swap in maple syrup for honey.
- Chia seeds: These are used both for creating a thicker jam and for nutrition purposes, but feel free to swap with flax seeds.
- Nut free: I have not tried a nut free version of these bars, and changing the flours would change the consistency
Tips for Serving and Storing:
- Just a few notes on consistency: These can be easily cut into squares and are not crunchy, but very soft. They are super moist and easy to chew, but don’t have a cookie consistency.
- These bars should be stored in the fridge to preserve shelf life, and so they are easier to pack! You can also store in the fridge already cut, and bring to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.
- Can you freeze raspberry crumble bars? YES! but cut them first and have them prepped before moving to a freezer-friendly container.
Healthy Dessert Bars you will love:
Here are a few other healthy dessert bars you will love:
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The Best Healthy Raspberry Crumble Bars (Paleo)
This recipe for raspberry crumble bars is healthy, full of good-for-you ingredients, and delicious raspberry fruit flavor! With 3 hearty layers– an almond shortbread crust, homemade raspberry chia jam, and a nut and coconut crumble topping– these Paleo dessert bars are a terrific treat .
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust layer:
- 2 cups almond flour or almond meal
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ΒΌ teaspoon sea salt
Raspberry filling:
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp raw honey* or maple syrup
- pinch of lemon zest
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup walnuts or almonds
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
-
Begin by making your filling, this has a jam consistency. In a medium saucepan, combine raspberries, honey, lemon juice and lemon zest. Heat to a medium to medium high heat, until mixture begins to bubble. Let bubble for 1-2 minutes, then lower heat to a simmer. While simmering, be sure to mash the berries with a wooden spoon. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, remove from heat. Add in chia seeds. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a glass jar or dish, and place in the fridge to cool completely. This will take about 1 hour, but you can also make the filling and let sit overnight.
-
Now make the crust: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and lightly grease. Combine all of the shortbread crust ingredients into a food processor and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Take mixture and carefully distribute over the parchment paper, pressing down firmly and evenly. Place inside the oven and bake for 13 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Leave the oven hot.
-
While crust is cooling, make the crumb mixture. Combine all ingredients into your food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds, or until mixture is crumbly.
-
Once crust is cooled, spread the jam filling over the crust. Complete by topping with the crumb mixture. Now bake for 18-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
-
Remove from oven and cool completely. Once cooled, slice into squares.
Recipe Notes
*To make this recipe Vegan, use maple syrup in place of honey. Either one tastes delicious!
Made these for my Easter dessert and they are AMAZING!
Oh that makes me happy! So glad you enjoyed them π
How much water goes in the filling?
Hi Jan, no water in the filling. I put that in the directions so that’s confusing, but I’ll take correct the typo!
Great! Thanks. I’m making them now. They look amazing.
Hello, can you sub the walnuts for pecans?
Yes, absolutely!
These are super, but my topping is falling off as I cut them! Did I mess up somewhere or is that normal? (Not that I mind- I’m eating it as a I go because it’s yummy- but it’s REALLY messy!)
Hi Lauren! Yes, they are pretty crumbly. I find they hold up best when cut right out of the fridge.
I added some melted butter to my crust … it’s crumbly because it’s dry. Added some butter will help it be more cohesive. I made some today – turned out great! I made a few minor adjustments but mostly stuck to the recipe. Delicious
Glad you liked them Erin!
could you use blueberries instead of raspberries?
Of course!!
Hi Amy,
Can i use fresh peaches to make the filling? Or fresh fruit instead of frozen?
Thank you!
Marta
Yes you can! Just make sure to use the chia seeds as a binding agent.
Helo, making it how and wondering how much water in the jam and when to add the honey??
Hilary, there is no water, add honey with the raspberries and lemon. I updated the recipe, it should have said honey instead of water.
Can these be frozen?
yes!
Just wondering what the chia seeds do? Do I NEED them? Not something I have…so unless it helps thicken the filling, I’d rather leave it out. Sure does look yummy though, so will put it on my list of things to try this summer if I can…just need to know if I need the chia seeds first! :-))
Hi Deb, yes you need the chia seeds! They act as a thickener for the jam, otherwise you will need gelatin of some sort. Hope that helps!
You don’t NEED gelatin, you could also just make jam thicker by reducing it farther. Of course, you have to start with more berries to get the same volume at the end if you use this method. It’s how I make all of my homemade berry jam and my family goes nuts for it.
Any idea what the calorie count is for these bars? They are good and I’m very glad they are good for me
Hi Shirley, according to Yummy, they are right around 150 calories per serving
Allergic to Almonds. Suggestion for what flour to use?
I just ate one of the raspberry crumb bars that I made today and I must say they are FABULOUS! Thank you so much for posting this wonderful recipe. I will be making these often.
These are delicious. It won’t matter if you’re gluten free, paleo or not…these are fabulous!
Can we use vegetable oil instead of coconut oil?
You can, but it will most likely change the consistency. I would use butter over vegetable oil.
LOVE this recipe – will be making for an Easter brunch π Do you melt the coco oil for the crust or crumb topping before combining or just leave in its buttery-like consistency?
This crust … I donβt think will even stay together! If these turn out Iβll be amazed!
The filling is very tasty I really pray it works out or I wasted all my coconut flour again! I was so hoping these would be as amazing as everyone has said! Paleo Baking is always a flop for me, I get frustrated!
I made these today for a breakfast at work, and everyone loved them! I did add a little bit of egg to the crust to help it stick together. It worked great.
So glad to hear, Kristin!
Can I substitute something for the chia seeds?
They are the binding agent in the jam, but if you wanted to use gelatin instead, that would work.
These are very nice. I am not paleo but I still enjoyed them.
What can I use instead of coconut sugar since itβs really fructose and sucrose which is not allowed in a Paleo diet.
You can omit the coconut sugar.
Delicious. What is the nutritional info? Carbs?
Iβd like to know the carbs too
Hi, recipe has been updated with nutrition facts in the recipe card.
are the raspberries to be drained in the Palio raspberry crumb bar recipe
No juice to drain. You will cook them
From frozen.
I was really looking forward to making and eating these; however, I was disappointed. There didn’t seem to be enough wet ingredients to hold the crust together. Even after it had been baked it completely crumbled and still looked like the flour with nothing added to it and was inedible. The filling was delicious, as was the crust, but again the crust wasn’t really holding. Any suggestions please as they look and sound delicious.
Can avocado oil be substituted for coconut oil? Also, will they keep? Thinking of making them the day before and keeping in fridge.
Hi, I would use ghee or butter in place of coconut oil. The avocado oil does not bind in the same way. You can definitely make ahead! I like to store mine in the fridge.
Are these sticky enough to hold up little pieces of coconut flakes stuck in the crumble?
I not, what can I use to make the flakes stand up?
I don’t think so, but hard for me to imagine without having a full picture of what you are trying to do.
These were soooo delicious! I added a splash of almond extract to the base layer and it really made the whole th thing pop. I also added some stevia and just a little bit of coconut sugar to the raspberry jam. Oh. My. Goodness! Iβve never had anything better!! I couldnβt believe it was so healthy!! I totally recommend my version ???? thanks so so much for a great recipe!! Iβve never made it a point to come back and leave a comment but I will DEFINITELY make these a staple in my home. Everyone enjoyed them!
These were good, but very salty. Half a teaspoon of salt in an 8×8 pan is quite a bit a salt, and it did give me pause, but I like to make recipes as written the first time. I will most likely make these again, but I”ll halve the amount of salt. Also it should be noted that the prep time for the bars is off, as chilling the filling wasn’t taken into account.
OMG – these look amazing !!
you think i can use frozen mixed berries?
Yes!!! Any frozen berries will work. Let me know what you think!
Ummm yeah his is delicious. First time doing paleo and I was craving some dessert. This is the first one I picked and Iβm glad I did!! So good
OH That makes me happy! So glad you loved it. I have plenty of yummy desserts on my site that you will love.
Iβve got a few on my list! Thanks so much for providing these!
What is the difference if you use fresh berries? Excited to make these
Nothing, you can definitely use fresh!