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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I made these and love them. They are still delicious after a few days. Wondering if buttering the baking pan and skipping the foil would be ok?
Hi Candy, glad you like these! Yes, you can butter the pan and skip the foil. I just like the foil as it makes removing the bars from the pan a bit easier.
Made these again w/o foil ; just buttered pan well. Worked very well. 😁
Good to know — thanks for reporting back!!
What about parchment instead of aluminum?
Sure, you could get away with using parchment here. Hope you enjoy!
These are to die for!!! Thank you for this recipe, my husband who is more of a chocolate lover, loved these! They remind me of rasberry coconut zingers, we could’ve eaten the whole thing the night we made them!
Well, I had another successful and delicious experience (as I knew I would!) making these delightful Raspberry Jam Bars! I LOVE seedless black raspberry jam so I used that, and they were wonderful! I don’t have a food processor so I used an immersion blender with steel blade to process the flour and pecan mixture, and it worked just fine. They were easy to make and, oh, so delicious! Thanks, again, Jen!!!
These were received with rave reviews! Pretty easy to make too!!
Delicious! Easy and fun to make.
Hello Jenn, is a stick of butter 1/2 cup ? I’m guessing . Here in Canada we don’t have sticks of butter it all comes in a block. Thank You ! Love all your recipes, your my go to when I need to find a recipe. That’s again. Celine
Hi Celine, Yes, a stick is 1/2 cup. Also, if it’s helpful, 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!
I started making these at Christmas because they are festive and an alternative to chocolate in our cookie spread – they are loved by all! Definitely gooey and delicious, and a stand-out, not an alternative. I may make them this weekend!
These are my go-to dessert bars since the whole family loves them and I’ve tried using both pecans and walnuts and both work! Such a delish recipe!
These bars have been so delicious each time that I have made them. I took them to a group gathering and they were devoured by all! Several people asked me for the recipe. I’ve tried the recipe with different jams, and I’ve enjoyed apricot and raspberry the best. Thanks for the great recipe, Jen!
Love these, I’ve made them a few times, the favourite so far is with toffee apple curd – goes brilliantly with the pecans in the crust!
These are absolutely delicious!! I like to add a layer of melted semisweet chocolate on top.
Hi Jenn, do you think these would end up super thin with an 8×11 pan? Alternatively, could I use a muffin tin? If so, any changes in baking time or ingredient amounts?
Out of the two options, I’d suggest the 8 x 11 but making 1.5 times the recipe (they would be too thin if not). You could try using a muffin tin without adjusting the ingredient amounts, but it will likely make less than 12 “muffins.” Not sure what the baking time would be for that so you’d need to keep a close eye on them. Please LMK how they turn out!
Thank you for the tips!! How much egg should I use if I tried to do 1.5 times the recipe?
You’ll need 1-1/2. To get that, beat one egg in a measuring cup, discard half of it, and use the remaining half.
These squares are delicious. Thank you For the recipe
I made these with just a couple of small modifications; I used 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and peach jam instead of raspberry.
The whole family enjoyed these very much! They are not too rich or too sweet, and can be made with ingredients I always have on hand. Great recipe to have in my arsenal!
I so appreciate how consistently reliable your recipes are, I turn to them time and again. Thank you!
I made these yesterday and they came out great. Substitutions: steel cut oats (add a bit of crunch), strawberry jam since I did not have raspberry, walnuts instead of pecans (since that’s what I had). Really excellent!
So Glad you wrote in…all I have are steel cut too so that’s what I will use. Still the same measurement? and what about sweetened coconut? oh and I only have coconut flour!
Hi Christine, You can use sweetened coconut; I’d just reduce the granulated sugar by 1 tablespoon. And I’ve never made this with coconut flour, so I can’t say for sure how it would impact the recipe. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
We have nut allergies in our home. If I leave out the pecans, should I add more oats to compensate? Thanks!
Hi Sommer, I’d add 1/4 cup more flour and 1/4 cup more oats or coconut. Enjoy!
I made these tonight – easy and delicious! We didn’t wait for them to cool completely before eating them 😀
Just made the Blueberry Muffins and I have found “the” recipe I will use all the time. They are so good and very easy to make.
Thanks for this recipe and I will continue to follow you.
Linda
bonnerlinda.6@gmail.com
Do you think you could take out the coconut and pecans and add chocolate chips maybe?
Hi Andrea, Yes, you can replace the coconut and pecans with additional flour and oats. I’m assuming you’d like to add chocolate chips to the filling? If so, yes, I think that would work. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them with these tweaks!
Delicious.
Huge hit with my family. Thank you.
I don’t have a food processor. Could I just chop the nuts and then blend the ingredients together with a spoon or a mixer? I do have a Ninja, if that helps.
Hi Marge, I’ve only used a food processor for this, but one reader commented that the used the smoothie cup on her ninja blender instead of a food processor, so I think it’s worth a try. Please LMK how they turn out if you try them this way!
Made these the other day with leftover filling, ( Raspberry), added cinnamon to the crust mixture, very addicting. Big hit at work, so I’m making double next time.
These look great! I have some leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving dinner. Do you think this would work if I use that in place of the raspberry jam? Thanks!
Hi Mary-Ellin, I think that sounds delicious. Please lmk how it turns out!
Wow! Sooo yummy! I make jam so this was a perfect. I doubled the recipe and used a 9×13 pan. I always bake the bottom layer of my bars first for about 15 min then spread the jam and cook for another 15 min or so. I used pineapple mango jam on one side, added a sprinkle of coconut – the other side with my smooth strawberry jam. I had extra dough left and created “mini jam bites” using a mini muffin pan. Cookie bottom, jam and more cookie on top. Really great because of all that crispy edge we fight over. First time trying your recipes and will be back!!
Hi, Jenn:
I am about to make these, but need to know how long they can stay well either on the counter or in the refrigerator? I need them for something in about 6 days. Would freezing be better than any other way? Thanks!
Hi Jane, these keep on the counter for about two days. If you want to serve them in six days, I’d suggest freezing them. See the very bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Hope that helps!
I baked this recipe using what I had on hand: whole wheat flour, monks fruit mixed with a little organic sugar and it still came out looking like your photo and it tasted better than bakery goods! It went fast! Thank you so much!
Has anyone used strawberry preserves in place of raspberry jam?
A charming treat. I, too, only used a total of 1/2 cup of sugar (plus the suagr in the jam) and thought it plenty sweet and happily gobbled up 3 bars. 🙂
Ridiculously good and so easy using (mostly) pantry ingredients… (only the coconut is not something I would have on hand.) I was able to use a smoothie cup on my ninja blender instead of a food processor which made for easier cleanup. (Note: chop the nuts before adding the rest of the ingredients).
Just finished making these little jems……absolutely fantastic!!
I used almonds in place of pecans, added a little almond extract and used sour cherry jam.
I look forward to experimenting with other fruit/nut combinations.
Another winner Jenn……………. as always!!
I have yet to try one of your recipes that did not turn out. Thank you.
Jenn, I have baked these bars about 10 times. For some reason, I just love them and so does my family. I think it is the cookie-like crust and then the raspberry jam. Makes for a great tea time snack or lunch box addition.
Easy and delicious. I have successfully substituted out the nuts for more coconut and flour to accommodate for allergies. Even better the next day when the jam soaks into the cookie.
I have a tree but allergy which includes coconuts and pecans. Can I make this recipe successfully without those ingredients? Are there substitutes you recommend? Thanks!
Hi Leah, Sure — I’d replace the coconut and pecans with additional flour and oats. Please LMK how they turn out!
Delicious!
The Raspberry Jam Bars are a heaven sent dessert!! Jen, thanks for the tip regarding the coconut…I used sweetened flaked, so used one less TBSP of sugar and the crust is perfect! In fact, that crust is amazing! To say my husband’s Valentine’s Day dessert was well received would be an understatement! He loves them! I love them! We usually buy seeded raspberry jam, but I assumed that seedless would be much better which was correct. The flavor of Trappist Seedless Raspberry Jam is wonderful in this recipe! Thanks Jen, and thank you for adding your little notes with suggestions if one doesn’t happen to have a certain piece of equipment or utensil.
First, I rarely ever give a review. However, I love to read them! But, after making these several times now (as well as other recipes of yours) I felt I had to. They are EXCELLENT! 10 stars!! I’ve made them in 8×8 as well as 9×13. You are truly talented! BTW, your new cookbook sits out on my counter and I tell everyone about you😀
❤️
I tell everyone about your blog, too, Jenn. Recipes are so reliable and I , too, love the reviews. Most of all, I love that when I ask you a question, you get back with an answer reliably within a day or two. Thank you!
Another great recipe, Jen! Just another notch up from the usual jam bars. The pecans, coconut & oats together were sublime, then topped with the raspberry jam (I used my fave brand, Bonne Maman)….perfection. Thank you, as always!
Love these jam bars because they are delicious, easy and versatile. I even made them using leftover homemade cranberry sauce after Thanksgiving in lieu of raspberry jam. They are also good with apricot or blueberry jam.
I made one adjustment to the instructions because I prefer a firmer crust. I blind bake the bottom shortbread layer for 10 minutes. Directly after removing the crust, I spread the jam on this warm layer and top with the remaining uncooked dough and then bake another 25 minutes.
These make a delightful and welcome holiday gift.
Would homemade blueberry jam work for this if i cut the granulated sugar to 1/4 cup(keeping the brown sugar at 1/4 c.)? Also, subbing the pecans with walnuts?
Yes and yes! I’d love to hear how they turn out. 🙂
I have made this recipe 100 times with all kinds of different fruits: plums, pears, bananas. It is great tasting, alittle crumbly, super fast and easy. I am even going to make it today with fall apples but my favorite fruit is with plum butter from my own home grown plums!
Can I sub whole fruits like pitted cherries or blue berries for the Jam?
Unfortunately, I don’t think that would work — sorry!
These bars are the absolute best and so easy to make! Thanks Jenn, for a great recipe!
What could I use in place of coconut which is a very unpopular ingredient in my family?
Hi Susan, I’d replace the coconut with 1/4 cup more flour and 1/4 cup more pecans or oats. Enjoy!
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