Valentine’s Day is a great excuse to whip up something sweet, don’t you think?
While chocolate desserts usually dominate this particular holiday, these raspberry bars are the perfect solution for any non-chocolate lovers in your life. They are downright addictive!
Featuring protein-rich almond flour and metabolism-boosting coconut oil, these treats are something you can feel good about serving to your loved ones. Sweet and tart homemade raspberry sauce pairs perfectly with this buttery crumb topping, creating a moist and crumbly bar that’s truly hard to resist.
I may never need another chocolate dessert again.
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Raspberry Almond Bars (Grain-free, Dairy-free)
makes one 8″ x 8″ pan
Adapted from Elana’s Pantry
Ingredients:
Crust:
2 cups almond flour or almond meal
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
10 oz. bag of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumb Topping:
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
Prepare the raspberry filling by heating the 1/2 cup maple syrup in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring the maple syrup to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the frozen raspberries and vanilla extract, and bring to a simmer again, allowing the mixture to cook for 15 minutes, until thick.
(Do not cook for longer than 15 minutes, or the pectin will break down and the sauce will not thicken properly.)
Remove from the heat, and transfer to a glass jar to chill in the fridge while you prepare the crust. (For best results, allow the raspberry filling to chill completely before adding to the crust. If you can make it the day before, it will become more thick and jam-like!)
*Note: Fresh raspberries may be used if you prefer, I simply chose frozen because they are more affordable. You may also substitute 1 cup of prepared raspberry jam, to make things easier!
For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. Combine all of the crust ingredients in a food processor, and process until the dough sticks together. Press the dough into the bottom of the baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Prepare the crumbly topping by combining the walnuts, coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and almond extract in a food processor, and process until sticky and crumbly, but still coarse in texture.
Arrange the bars by spreading the raspberry filling over the crust, then spreading the crumbly topping over the raspberry layer.
Return to the oven for 15 minutes at 350F, or until the topping is lightly golden.
Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. For best shelf life, store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Raspberry Almond Bars (Grain-free, Dairy-free)
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups almond flour or almond meal
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
- 10 oz . bag of frozen raspberries
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumb Topping:
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Prepare the raspberry filling by heating the 1/2 cup maple syrup in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring the maple syrup to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the frozen raspberries and vanilla extract, and bring to a simmer again, allowing the mixture to cook for 15 minutes, until thick. (Do not cook for longer than 15 minutes, or the pectin will break down and the sauce will not thicken properly.) Remove from the heat, and transfer to a glass jar to chill in the fridge while you prepare the crust.
- For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F and line an 8" x 8" baking dish with parchment paper, to prevent sticking. Combine all of the crust ingredients in a food processor, and process until the dough sticks together. Press the dough into the bottom of the baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the crumbly topping by combining the walnuts, coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil, sea salt and almond extract in a food processor, and process until sticky and crumbly, but still coarse in texture.
- Arrange the bars by spreading the raspberry filling over the crust, then spreading the crumbly topping over the raspberry layer. Return to the oven for 15 minutes at 350F, or until the topping is lightly golden.
- Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. For best shelf life, store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
Nutrition
Calories per bar: 286, Fat: 21g, Carbohydrates: 20g, Fiber: 4g, Protein:5g
Hope you enjoy them!
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Reader Feedback: Do you prefer chocolate or non-chocolate sweets?
Love this recipe! Such a different twist from a standard recipe with almond flour! These look amazing.
sounds great, I bet it’d be good with blueberries?
I made it last night with blueberries! It was so good, best thing I have ever ate!
They do look amazing— and I am usually drawn to the chocolate treats! I just printed out your recipe and am going to make these. Thank you! BTW, just recently found your site and love it. Corinne
Amazing! I will be trying these this week for sure!
These look sooo good! I may have to try this with frozen blueberries or strawberries since I that’s what I have on hand. Yum!!
I have tons of frozen cranberries in the freezer…..I bet they would be a great sub for the raspberries, may have to try it!
Sorry, I can’t get off the coconut macaroons enough to try this. Maybe in another month or so;)
I completely understand. 🙂
This looks amazing!!I am so exited to try it.
This was delicious, but mine came out the consistency of cooked oatmeal, fine for eating with a spoon, but not at all bar-like. No way could I cut it into squares. Still tastes good! I may use it to top some Greek yogurt…
I’m sorry to hear the consistency was wrong! Perhaps the raspberry filling hadn’t “set” long enough in the fridge. The first time I made these, my crust got a little soggy, too. I think the key is making sure the filling is really cold and jam-like before adding it on top of the baked crust. Maybe try making the jam the night before, so it can set overnight.
Hope you’ll enjoy this batch over the yogurt anyway! 🙂
I had the same issue and I let my raspberry filling sit in the fridge for almost 24 hours. But they still tasted good, the bottom was just soggy.
Made these last night and mmmmmmmmm!!!! They came out perfect and made an awesome sweet mid morning snack. Can’t wait to try it with blueberries. Thank you!
+1 on Abbie’s comment. Mine came out more like raspberry crumble. But I could tell it was because I hadn’t let the jam reduce enough, and so it made the bottom crust a bit soggy. Nevertheless totally delish! I find with grain free baking, it takes me a couple of tries to get it perfect.
These look fantastic! But how do these work with food combining? Fruit and nuts?
This definitely falls into the “treat” category, so it’s not perfectly combined. Fruit does combine with nuts if you remove their moisture content, so by cooking the raspberries down for 15 minutes, you are removing quite a bit of the moisture. For a more properly combined version, try using the jam recipe in my Cherry Almond Thumbprint cookies– it uses dried fruit as the base!
Ok thanks! Your recipes are great 🙂 I’m curious… what do you think about the blood type diet? What is your blood type and do you think it is relevant to how you eat/feel?
Thanks!
Wow! Made these this week and my husband is still raving about them! VERY VERY good! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made these and wow, they taste great! The raspberry filling didn’t thicken up for me, so I added 1 tbsp of agar agar flakes and it turned out perfect. Even my very particular 5 year old loves them. I was amazed at how “buttery” the crust tastes-thanks!
Is this dessert gluten free?
Yes, almost all of my recipes are gluten-free.
The topping alone is heavenly! My toddler loves it, which is perfect b/c it is loaded with healthy fats!
I’m gonna try the crust again, but with ground oatmeal to give it a lighter taste.
(For non-detox folks. Otherwise, it tastes great the way it is!)
Made these this week and they were great! I didn’t have maple syrup so used raw honey instead, and turned out sooo yummy! My husband and I both enjoyed these best warmed up in the oven with a little coconut milk vanilla ice cream on the side. Thanks for another great recipe Megan!
Thank you so much for your help with the Almond Butter! Mine turned out great& you gave me the patience I needed! Love,love your recipes!
Thanks again!!
Made these last night and they are amazing! I made a few alterations by adding lemon zest to the topping. Also, I’m allergic to walnuts so I used my homemade granola and almond chunks for the topping.
Mine turned out a bit more gooey than I think they should have been. I made my own almond flour so I may have pulsed too long and released more oils than there would have been from store bought. Next time I may put a little less coconut oil in the crust and a little bit less maple syrup in the filling.
omg goodness this are amazing! They didn’t last more than three days in our house. I used fresh strawberries, so so good!
Yum, we just made these- they are delicious. I was out of maple syrup so I substituted brown rice syrup for sweetener in the filling, and honey for the sweetener in the topping. We used raw sliced almonds instead of pecans. Thanks for a great recipe
Just had to tell you how awesome these turned out! I’m going to try them with dates for the filling next! Thanks!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Made these for my Easter dessert. Seriously had to hide the little bit that was left from my family of boys. Amazing, and feels like you are so totally cheating and UR not!
These were really easy to make and taste fantastic! Mine were a bit soft, so we ate them with a fork….but I’ll definitely make these again!
Hi, I made these bars in a slightly different version and anyway they were fantastic! …thanks for this recipe and my compliments for your beautiful and interesting blog!
Here is the link to my post
http://crumpetsandco.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/quadrotti-ai-lamponi-mandorle-e-cocco-raspberry-almond-and-coconut-squares/
Thanks
Terry
I just made them…using pecans instead of walnuts, and only using about 1/3 the amt of maple syrup…delicious!!!
Making these for a church picnic this Saturday! Then there will be a treat that I can enjoy! Can’t wait to try them!
Two questions! Do you think you could replace half of the almond meal with GF to reduce the calorie count? I’m looking for a treat that won’t bust my calorie counting. Also, do you think they’d freeze/thaw well?
It’s very difficult to replace almond flour with a grain-based flour, so you’ll have to experiment with that– the ratios probably won’t be the same. They do freeze well!
For simplicity (low on time), I used organic low-sugar raspberry jam from Trader Joe’s as the filling. These are so yummy!!!
I’m am really looking forward to making these soon. What a great recipe for someone who loves her sweets and trying to give up everything processed. Will especially look forward to trying this recipe out with different fruits.
These bars look awesome! I’ve been looking for a fruit bar recipe for a while now, and it’s nice to finally find one. I think substituting cherries for the raspberries and using the crust as the topping would make these more bar-ish. At least, this is what I’d like to try!
Made this recipe and they came out great. I used frozen mixed berries and doubled up the “Crust ingredients” and added the coconut for my own twist. Didn’t have any walnuts so when I say doubled up I just mean I made twice the amount for top and bottom, but still added coconut. Tasty!
The filling looks very similar to jam to me – would it be the same if I just used raspberry jam I already have? (I have SO MUCH right now!)
Thank you Megan, this recipe is great! I was looking for a way to use my almond pulp from almond milk so incorporated it into both the crust and the topping. I dried it out on low in the oven first, and it worked perfectly. I used one cup of dried pulp and one cup of almond flour for the crust and followed the rest of those directions (was not mushy, actually breaks apart), and then instead of the walnuts I used the almond pulp and didn’t use the food processor, just mixed by hand so some of the chunks of almond pulp didn’t break apart. The bars are awesome!
Thanks for the tip, Kim! I was wondering why my search for almond pulp recipes brought me here 🙂 Yum!
I’ve made this version, and they’re great. Do you think I could make this a Thanksgiving dessert by using pumpkin or pear butter in place of the raspberries?
Thanks!
Mariah
I tried this recipe using apple butter in place of the raspberries, and the flavor of the apple butter was totally lost. You may have to experiment a bit– perhaps a thicker filling would help bring out the flavor of a more mild filling, like pumpkin or pear?
Thanks!
amazing recipe, love it! 😉 and it is not difficult to make
I made these with leftover cranberry sauce. They were a huge hit!
AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!!!! I think I said it all lol
Sad to say that these are impossible to eat as “bars.” They never set so you will have to eat them with a fork. They are also not particularly flavorful since the crust tastes like undercooked dough. I should have red the comments before spending about $20 worth of ingredients on this recipe.
Be sure to keep anything with coconut oil in the fridge. Was this the problem? I want to make these for a friend. Hoping mine will set.
How many fresh raspberries do you use in this recipe?
Love the recipe, it sure looks like a treat, can’t wait to try it out. I use a similar recipe for my gooseberry preserves, so will definitely try it out for the rasberry as well. I usually use the almond flour, but this one sure sounds damn interesting..thanks for sharing.
How many calories are in one of these bars?
Approx 160 calories per 16th of recipe.
AMAZING! I cooled the jam (used 12 oz Sam’s club package of fresh rasberries to make the jam) in the freezer while preparing the other components. I cooked the jam for exactly 15 minutes. I added rolled oats and cinnamon to the crust. These turned out perfectly and were a huge hit. (And very filling). THANK YOU!
How many calories in each? I put mine in regular muffin cups…
Has anyone ever tried making this with peaches instead of raspberries? I’ve made it with raspberries and loved it but wanted to try peach and didn’t know if it would turn out the same.
Thank you so much for this receipe I have recently gave up soda, junk food and everything bad! It’s been a little difficult and I needed something to give me just a little bit of sweet, this did the truck. I’m so happy I have decided (finally) to take care of myself and nourish my body! Thank you for this receipe, it has shown me that Healthy eating can taste delicious!
Also, this is great in the morning with some coconut milk (unsweetened, no additives, no gmo)…just delicious with a big cup of black coffee! Thank you again!
I am literally dying at how good these are! I had a sweet tooth and someone suggested cheesecake. And I tried this and was like- I’d rather have this any day!!
I found that the salt ratio was too much with the other ingredients. Was it suppose to be such? I think I’ll add 1/8 instead of 1/4. Still, appreciate the recipe. Look forward to trying others.