Description
A quick, easy, and forgiving dessert featuring a buttery almond crumb base and topping with tart fresh or frozen raspberries. Perfect for weeknights, this small-batch recipe yields a single 8×8 pan of delicious bars.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (for crumb mixture)
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for filling)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides, and spray with cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ground almonds, and almond extract.
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a fork to cut the butter into the flour until the texture resembles coarse, wet sand with some pea-sized clumps.
- Remove about half of the crumb mixture and set it aside for the topping.
- Press the remaining half of the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form an even base layer.
- In a small bowl, toss the raspberries with the 1 tablespoon of sugar and cornstarch until evenly coated.
- Spread the raspberry mixture evenly over the pressed base layer.
- Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture generously over the top of the raspberries.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the raspberries are bubbling. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.
- Let the bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before slicing into squares.
Notes
Keep butter cold to ensure a crumbly texture rather than a doughy one. If using frozen raspberries, do not thaw them first; toss them directly with the sugar and cornstarch. Cornstarch is essential to thicken the berry juices and prevent sogginess. Bars taste better the next day as flavors meld. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 14
- Sodium: 120
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 28
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
Keywords: raspberry bars, almond crumb bars, small batch dessert, easy baking, weeknight dessert, gluten-free option, frozen berry dessert