These Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars are the perfect blend of nutty and fruity. They start with a buttery almond crust, layered with a sweet, tart raspberry rhubarb jam and a sprinkled crumb topping.

Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars | From SugarHero.com

Last weekend was my son’s fourth birthday party, and if you follow me on Snapchat, you know that also means that last week was my own private party planning hell. (Sidenote: come find me on Snapchat! I’m elabau! Let’s be besties!) I basically put off almost all of the planning and baking until the last minute, so I was a bit of a stressball leading up to the party.

I’ll be sharing party deets next week, so I won’t get into the agony and the ecstasy of it all right now. The important thing is that I was feeling super busy and crunched, so when I needed a last-minute dessert for something else, I turned to these Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars.

These little bars with the big name came to the rescue! These babies are delicious, easy, and the perfect vehicle to showcase all of that spring rhubarb that’s appearing in markets now.

Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars | From SugarHero.com

They start with a buttery almond crust that has lots of almond paste mixed into it. The paste gives it a slightly softer texture than traditional shortbread crusts, as well as intense almond flavor. Most of the crust is pressed into the pan, but some is reserved to sprinkle over the top like a crumb topping.

Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars | From SugarHero.com

And the filling—that’s where things get really exciting! I made a homemade raspberry-rhubarb jam to go in between those layers of buttery almond goodness. And in this case, “jam” just means a bunch of good stuff bubbling together in a pan until it gets nice and think—nothing complicated and nothing scary. If you don’t have the time or inclination, you can substitute your favorite store-bought jam, but if the gorgeous red stalks of rhubarb have been calling to you the way they’ve been calling to me, I highly suggest giving the jam a try.

I actually made 2 batches of jam—one for the bars, and one to have on toast and sandwiches. As long as you keep it in the fridge and use it within a week or two, you should be golden—no need to officially “can” it or do anything scary involving sterilized water baths.

Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars | From SugarHero.com

These bars are the perfect blend of sweet and tart, and nutty and fruity. I have a feeling I’ll be making them all summer long—they’re total party food and are just begging to be brought to a picnic, barbeque, or outdoor concert!

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2 Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars next to a container of jam.

Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars

5 from 1 vote
These Raspberry Rhubarb Almond Bars are the perfect blend of nutty and fruity. They start with a buttery almond crust, layered with a sweet, tart raspberry rhubarb jam and a sprinkled crumb topping.
Prep30 minutes
Cook45 minutes
Total1 hour 15 minutes
Yields24 bars

Ingredients

For the Raspberry Rhubarb Jam:

  • 8 oz rhubarb stalks, (2 large or 3 medium, to yield 2 cups chopped pieces)
  • 6 oz fresh raspberries, (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3.5 oz granulated sugar, (1/2 cup), up to 5.25 oz (3/4 cups) can be added according to taste
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp lemon juice, fresh

For the Almond Crust:

Instructions 

To Make the Raspberry Rhubarb Jam:

  • Wash the rhubarb stalks, cut off the ends, and chop them into small pieces less than 1/2-inch wide. You should have about 2 cups of chopped rhubarb.
  • Combine the rhubarb, raspberries, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally while it heats up and the sugar melts, then once it comes to a simmer, lower the heat to medium-low and continue to cook the jam until the fruit breaks down, most of the liquid boils off, and it has a thick, jammy texture. (It will continue to thicken as it cools.) This should probably take about 15-20 minutes.
  • Once the jam is cooked, remove it from the heat and cool it to room temperature before using. It can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

To Make the Almond Crust and the Bars:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Coarsely chop the almond paste into pieces and put it in a food processor. Process in long pulses until the almond paste is in fine crumbs, then remove it from the processor.
  • Place the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and baking powder in the processor, and pulse briefly to combine. Add the cold cubed butter, and pulse in long pulses until the mixture is crumbly, but holds together if you press a ball of it between your fingers. Add the almond paste crumbs and almond extract, and process in short bursts until it’s well-mixed. (The dough will still be crumbly.)
  • Separate out about 1 1/4 cups of the crust and set it aside for later. Take the remaining crust mixture and press it into an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake the bottom crust at 350 F for 15 minutes, until it is puffed and just starting to take on some color.
  • Spread the jam out into an even layer on the baked crust, and sprinkle the reserved crust mixture over the top. (Don’t worry about getting perfectly even coverage, it will puff and spread as it bakes.)
  • Bake the bars for an additional 28-43 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the top crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.
  • Using the foil as handles, remove the bars from the pan and cut them into small squares. Top them with a dusting of powdered sugar. Remaining bars can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe Notes

If you want to speed up this recipe, you can substitute 1 1/2 cups of your favorite store-bought jam for the homemade raspberry-rhubarb jam in the recipe.

Measuring Tips

Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.

Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?

Nutrition

Serving: 24g | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 98mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 2.8mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and hashtag it #SugarHero. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @elabau.

Meet Elizabeth!

Hi, I’m Elizabeth — a trained pastry chef, cookbook author, video instructor, and your new Baking BFF! I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to be a sugar hero. ❤️

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18 Comments

  1. Happy Birthday! 4yos are lots of fun. Lots of conversation, not too much attitude and they still let you pick out their clothes. I can’t wait to see the birthday cake

    1. That sounds ALMOST accurate…but Asher sure has a lot of opinions about his clothes! 😉 Thanks so much, Lisa!

  2. HappyBirthday to your little one! He has sure grown up fast since I saw photos of him for the first time… Luca is celebrating his 6th bday on the 7th of May and we´re doing Paw Patrol, and like you I stress alot. I can´t help it…. 🙂
    ps. I haven´t been snap chatting at all, but you inspired me, I´ll follow you, pls be my firsr friend..lol (pleaZe give me some pointers on how to use it! lol!)
    ps 2. these bars look so good, I wish we could find rhubarb here (easily) too!

    1. Hey lady! Isn’t it crazy how time flies? I can’t believe Luca is going to be 6! Paw Patrol is a big hit around our house too. 🙂

      Okay. Snapchat! I’m actually super into it! I’ll hook you up with a tutorial. Mwa!!

  3. I’ve never tasted rhubarb before but these bars look really good so I think I’ll give them a try. One question, after cooking down the rhubarb does it have to be strained? Is it stringy like celery? Thanks.

    1. Thanks, Myra! This is a fun one to try as a rhubarb newbie. 🙂 The rhubarb doesn’t need to be strained after cooking. Although strings are visible, it doesn’t have a celery texture and I would say it gets more soft/mushy rather than stringy after cooking. I realize that sounds unappetizing but I promise it works when mixed with cooked berries! 🙂

  4. You will be glad to know that, I made these last night and they’re already gone. Absolutely delicious!

  5. I love this recipe! I have substituted the sugar with monk fruit and Swerve powder sugar, making it less calories. But as a fall treat I used Dutch apple pie for the filling. So delicious! My family thought it was a Hugh hit and took the leftovers home. I did safe enough for breakfast today. Thank you so much for this recipe.