Description
Delight in these Raspberry Streusel Shortbread Bars featuring a buttery shortbread base layered with sweet raspberry jam and topped with a crumbly cinnamon-spiced streusel. Perfect as a sweet snack or dessert, these bars combine buttery richness, fruity brightness, and a crisp topping in every bite.
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 packed brown sugar
- 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, leaving an overhang for easy removal of the bars.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy to create a smooth base for the shortbread.
- Mix in vanilla and dry ingredients: Add the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture. Gradually mix in the flour and salt until just combined to form the shortbread dough, being careful not to overwork it.
- Form the base layer: Press about two-thirds of the shortbread dough evenly into the prepared baking pan, creating a uniform base layer.
- Spread the raspberry jam: Evenly spread the raspberry jam over the pressed shortbread base, ensuring full coverage without over-layering.
- Prepare streusel topping: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Cut in the cold, cubed butter using a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add streusel over jam: Sprinkle the prepared streusel mixture evenly on top of the raspberry jam layer.
- Add remaining dough: Crumble the remaining one-third of the shortbread dough evenly over the streusel, giving a crumbly top layer.
- Bake the bars: Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the jam layer is bubbly and set.
- Cool and serve: Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before lifting them out using the parchment overhang. Cut into 12 bars and serve.
Notes
- Use seedless raspberry jam for a smoother texture in the filling.
- Chilling the dough slightly before pressing it into the pan can help prevent spreading during baking.
- Ensure the butter used for the streusel topping is cold to achieve the desired crumbly texture.
- For easier slicing, chill the bars after cooling before cutting.
- Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
