Easy Jam Crumble Bars (that can be gluten-free)

It’s summer, so it’s time for fruity desserts to make their appearance on the scene. This is always a bit tricky for me since fruit will always play second fiddle to anything chocolatey in my book. However! These easy jam crumble bars are an excellent way to appease my fruit-loving friends any time of year.

You can, of course, make them a lot fancier by incorporating fresh fruit or making your own jam, etc. But the thing I like about these jam crumble bars is that they work great with store-bought jam and absolutely no fuss.

Got a jar of jam you’ve been wanting to make use of? Got some butter and flour and sugar and oats? You’re pretty much all set!

The other really nice thing about these jam bars is that they’re easy to make gluten-free. Since they have a shortbread crust and crumble topping, you don’t really need to worry so much about the structure. As a result, swapping out any gluten-free flour mix works great. I actually usually end up making these when I need a gluten-free option. I’m a big fan of not having to run out and buy six different ingredients when I’ve got a gluten-free friend to feed. So, I keep some GF flour mix on hand and reach for recipes where that works just fine.

Again, if you want to fancy these up a bit, add fresh fruit on top of the jam. You could even get super fancy and switch it up – peach slices on blackberry jam, plum and raspberry, apple and cherry… whatever your heart desires!

Ingredients are listed in the order they appear in the recipe and anything that requires prep is in bold. Ingredients are bolded in the directions when you first encounter them, and the quantity required is included. Time estimates are bolded and italicized. I also include notes about any special equipment you’ll need.

Easy Jam Crumble Bars (that can be gluten-free)

(adapted from America’s Test Kitchen)

Required equipment: a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. A 9×13 inch baking pan and aluminum foil to line it.

• 2 ½ cups (350g) unbleached all-purpose flour (or, 1:1 GF flour mix)
• ⅔ cup (140g) granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes 

For the topping

• ½ cup (40g) old-fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup (65g) pecans or other nuts, toasted and chopped fine
• ¼ cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

Jam layer

• 1-1½ cups (12-14 oz jar) jam of your choice
• (optional) 1 cup of fresh berries or sliced fruit to sprinkle on top of the jam

Preheat oven to 375°

Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with heavy-duty foil. (If you don’t have heavy foil, double up on thinner foil by folding a long sheet in half before lining the pan). Spray generously with cooking spray to ensure foil is well greased.

In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, stir together 2 ½ cups (350g) flour, ⅔ cup (140g) granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt together.

Once flour mixture is well-combined, set mixer to medium-low and begin adding in 16 tablespoons butter, one piece at a time. Continue mixing until mixture resembles damp sand (1 to 1½ minutes).

Set aside roughly 1¼ cups mixture in a medium bowl to use for the crumble topping.

Sprinkle the bulk of the flour mixture into the greased pan and press firmly into even layer across the bottom. Bake until edges of crust begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes.

Then, start making the topping. Note: the crust must still be hot when filling and topping are added!

In the bowl with the reserved flour mixture, add ½ cup (40g) oats, ½ cup (65g) pecans, and ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar into reserved topping mixture and stir to combine. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and pinch mixture between your fingers into clumps of streusel.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat 1½ cups jam just to warm it up/make it easier to spread – probably 30 seconds or so. Give it a stir to break up any big lumps, as this will make it easier to spread evenly on the hot crust. 

Once the edges of the crust have started to brown, pull the pan out of the oven and carefully spread the warm jam on top. (Especially if you used GF flour, the crust may be a little tender/fragile, but don’t worry about losing any rise – this is a shortbread crust.) Top the jam layer with any fruit. Sprinkle streusel evenly across the top.

Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is a deep golden brown, 22 to 25 minutes.

Let bars cool completely (about 2 hours) before lifting the foil/bars out of the pan to slice. I know it’s tempting, but they will crumble/fall apart if you don’t let them cool properly first!