RASPBERRY CRUMB BARS
I adore these bars!
Sweet jam baked until bubbly on an almond-pecan shortbread crust and topped with spicy crumbs…what’s not to love?!
Raspberry is wonderful, but you could make several different flavors and present them on a gorgeous platter for parties or tea…or gorgeously boxed for a friend.
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Vegetable cooking spray
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Whey Low Granular or maltitol crystals
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon almond flour, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
3/4 cup no-sugar-added raspberry jam (or any flavor)
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a round or square 8 inch pan with vegetable cooking spray and set aside. (If you have it, an 8-inch springform pan is perfect and makes the bars easy to remove.)
In a medium bowl cream the butter with the Whey Low until light. Beat in the vanilla and egg yolk. Gradually stir in the 1/2 cup flour and the 1/2 cup almond flour. Mix in the chopped pecans. Dough will be stiff but moist. Reserve 1/3 cup of this mixture and set aside. With buttered fingers press the remaining dough into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until it is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
In a small bowl heat raspberry jam in the microwave until soft, but not runny. Stir in almond extract and carefully spread on baked crust to within 1/2 inch of edge.
To reserved crumbs mix in the 1 tablespoon flour, the 1 tablespoon almond flour and the cinnamon. Sprinkle reserved crumb-cinnamon mixture onto the jam. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown and jam is bubbly. Allow to cool before cutting. Makes 16 servings.
Per Serving: Calories 118; Protein 2 g; Fat 10 g; Carbs 4 g; Sugar 0 g; Sodium 38 mg
Linda, can Splenda used in these? They look delicious.
Splenda doesn’t “cream” very well with the butter the way that sugar does – when it gets light and fluffy. BUT – I’ve used Splenda in my Almond Shortbread, which is basically the base of this with the addition of an egg yolk, and that works great, so this would be worth a try!
gorgeous indeed! It sounds especially delicious with the almond flour.
ooo these do look fresh from the bakery!
These do look absolutely stunning–I would have to go with bluberry jam I think!
My Mom ADORES these! So do I! Will be making them tonight for a big BBQ tomorrow, and I promise, they will go fast! And, yes, Splenda works OK with these, which is good for a lot of peeps, such as my daughter who is highly sensitive to malitol!
Mine are in the oven right now!! I used blueberry jam and walnuts…cant wait!!
Linda – I made mine with SF strawberry jam and vanilla extract (not a big fan of almond extract). These are TO DIE FOR! My only problem is trying to be good and cut them into 16 tiny slices. I just managed the calories and did 8!
Hi Linda,
I can’t seem to find almond flour here in Canada,
Any other suggestions for the base – that is not all white flour?
thanks for all of your tips!
I visit this site weekly (or more!!)
Thanks, dolly!!
You can make your own almond flour. If you have a food processor, buy blanched (skinless) UNSALTED almonds and pulse them in the processor. Be careful…only go till it’s a fine powder, just a little too far and you have almond butter!
You can use the almonds with skin on, if that’s all you can find. It just will make little flecks in your batter but will taste the same.
Just made this recipe with Splenda and it turned out beautifully–most delicious. Instead of an electric beater, I used a pastry blender to cream the Splenda with the butter. Worked perfectly. Sprayed the top with canola spray to help it brown a bit.
Love your blog! Thanks so much for sharing wonderful healthy recipes and cooking experiences!
I’ve made these several times with different flavors of sugar free jam..and they are always wonderful. I have a pan of blackberry jam ones baking right now.Yum.