Crumb bars are easy-to-make, rustic dessert bars. These Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars might be the most sumptuous crumb bars I’ve ever made. They have a tender shortbread crust topped with a layer of raspberry jam, followed by chocolate chips, a generous crumb topping, then finished with a drizzle of icing. The raspberry jam and chocolate chips melt together in the oven creating a delicious filling that will remind you of raspberry truffles.
Raspberry Chocolate Crumble Bars
Tender shortbread crust topped with raspberry jam, chocolate chips, crumb topping and a drizzle of icing
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups (191g) all purpose flour, sifted
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (43g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup (128g) all purpose flour
- â…“ cup (66g) packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (37g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons (85g) cold, unsalted butter, cubed
Filling
- 1 cup (312g) raspberry jam or fruit spread
- ¾ cup (128g) semisweet or dark chocolate chips
Icing
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- â…› teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 pinch fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) whole milk or half & half
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving a couple of inches of overhang.
- In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder and salt until well combined.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat just until the dough comes together.
- Press the dough evenly into the baking pan. Bake until the surface is light golden born, about 20-23 minutes.
Crumb Topping
- Meanwhile, in a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand, with no large pieces of butter remaining Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Filling
- Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the warm crust. Top with the chocolate chips. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the filling. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble, about 23-28 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar, butter, extracts, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk together. Add more milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Whisk until smooth. Remove the cooled bars from the pan and drizzle with icing. Cut the bars into 2 inch squares.