jam crumb bars

Golden and buttery jam crumb bars make the best cookie bars! Filled with mixed berry jam (try any flavor you love!) and drizzled with vanilla glaze, these easy crumb bars make the perfect bite of sweetness.

The Best Jam Crumb Bars

Baking Pan – Use an 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper for this recipe. Light-colored pans conduct heat evenly, and parchment paper keeps the bars from sticking to the pan.

Jam – These bars are delicious with mixed berry preserves (shown here), raspberry jam, blackberry jam, apricot jam, or any flavor you love!

Crust and Crumble – The crust and crumble are made with the same buttery dough. To make the dough, combine melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract in a large bowl. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture and fold in until incorporated.

Set aside 3/4 cup of dough to use for the topping, mixing in sliced almonds until mixture is crumbly. Chill the topping until ready to use. Press remaining dough evenly into the bottom of prepared baking pan.

Bake Crust – Bake the crust for 14 to 16 minutes, or until lightly golden and set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Assemble Bars – Place jam in a small bowl and microwave for 10 seconds or until slightly warm. Whisk to loosen, then spread jam evenly over cooled crust. Crumble reserved dough over jam layer and return the pan to the oven.

Second Bake – Continue baking crumb bars for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden and the jam filling is slightly bubbly. Remove bars from the oven and cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Vanilla Glaze – Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle vanilla glaze over cooled bars and let set before serving.

Larger Batch – For a larger batch of crumb bars, double the recipe and bake in a 9 x 13-inch rectangular baking pan.

How to Freeze Crumb Bars

To freeze these jam crumb bars, let cool completely. Once cooled, place the unglazed bars on a baking sheet and freeze flat for 1 hour. After 1 hour, transfer the bars to an airtight container and freeze up to 8 weeks. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator (still wrapped to prevent condensation from forming) and glaze before serving.

Print

Best cookie recipes with jam:

Raspberry Pecan Linzer Cookies
Jam Butter Cookies
Jamaretti Cookies