blackberry jam bars

Blackberry Jam Bars are the perfect easy-to-make, portable dessert! Made with a one-bowl crumble mixture that doubles as the base and the topping, and full of juicy blackberry jam. These will be gone FAST – better make two batches.

this recipe

This recipe was originally published in November of 2017, but I’ve just updated it with new photos and changed the recipe to yield a thicker, yummier dessert bar!

Hello, gorgeous. I’ve always been a bit obsessed with this type of dessert bar – you know the ones. A soft-yet-slightly-crunchy base, a delicious layer of jam in the middle, and a lovely pile of crumbly-crumble goodness on top.

Let me introduce you to my new favorite version – Blackberry Jam Bars!

Bars like this are typically made with strawberry jam or a date filling, but I happened to have blackberry jam on hand. The result? GLORIOUS.

Not only do these earn ALL the points for flavor, they are dangerously easy to make. Eight-ingredients and 45-minutes start-to-finish easy.

Even though there are three layers here, you’re really only making one thing – part of the crumble mixture gets flattened into the bottom of the pan to form the crust, the other part gets sprinkled on top. And the jam layer? As easy as opening a jar and spreading some of that goodness onto the crust. You can, of course, make the jam yourself if you want to get a little fancy with it.

I can already see future you — making batches & batches of these to give away (or to eat all by yourself – been there, done that!). I can also see you swapping the blackberry jam out for whatever jam or fruit spread you happen to have in your cabinet/fridge.

You’ll munch on these, sitting on your porch, basking in the warm summer weather and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start your love affair with crumble dessert bars sooner.

Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo! 

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5 from 3 votes

Blackberry Jam Bars

By Stephanie Simmons

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Cooling Time: 3 hours hrs

Servings: 12 bars

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 sticks salted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 cup cane or granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 1 tsp vanilla
• ▢ 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP whole wheat flour, Can sub AP or White Whole Wheat
• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ▢ 1/4 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 10-12 ounces blackberry jam

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Instructions 

• Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
• Make the Bars: Melt the butter, and stir in the vanilla and sugars. Add remaining ingredients (except the jam) and stir until combined. You should have a fairly crumbly mixture. Set 1 and 1/3 cup of the mixture aside. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the baking dish to form your crust. Bake the bare crust for 9 minutes.

  Remove from the oven, and add the jam. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the top of the jam layer. You can work this mixture a bit with your hands to form some larger crumb pieces if it's super, super finely crumbled. (If the crumbs left at the bottom of the bowl are very dry, I melt an extra tablespoon of butter and add a little bit to help it come together.)
• Bake: Return to the oven for about 20-25 more minutes.
• Serve + Store: Let cool completely before slicing, if you want them to hold up. (You can speed this up in the fridge). If you don't care, you can cut into them sooner but they won't hold a bar shape.

  Store bars in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

NOTE: You can easily double this recipe and bake it in two separate 8x8 pans or in one 9x13 pan. 

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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