Description
These Raspberry Streusel Shortbread Bars combine a buttery, crumbly shortbread base with a sweet and tangy raspberry jam layer, topped with a cinnamon-spiced streusel and crumbled shortbread. Perfect for dessert or a sweet snack, they bake to golden perfection with a deliciously crumbly texture and fruity burst.
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Base
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling
- 1 cup raspberry jam (seedless preferred)
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, ensuring to leave an overhang for easy removal of the bars later.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which helps create a tender shortbread base.
- Add Vanilla and Dry Ingredients: Mix in the vanilla extract, then gradually add the flour and salt, mixing just until combined to form the shortbread dough without overworking it.
- Form the Base Layer: Press about two-thirds of the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan to create the shortbread crust layer.
- Spread Raspberry Jam: Evenly spread the raspberry jam over the shortbread base to create a flavorful fruit layer.
- Make Streusel: In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold, cubed butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Top with Streusel: Sprinkle the streusel mixture evenly over the raspberry jam layer, adding a sweet and spicy crumb topping.
- Add Remaining Dough: Crumble the remaining one-third of the shortbread dough over the streusel to form the final crumbly topping layer.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the raspberry jam is bubbly.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before using the parchment overhang to lift them out and cut into 12 bars for serving.
Notes
- Use seedless raspberry jam to ensure a smooth texture in the filling.
- Make sure butter for the streusel is very cold to help create a crumbly texture.
- Allow bars to cool completely before cutting to ensure clean slices.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- These bars can also be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw before serving.
