Gluten-Free Raspberry Streusel Bars
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 23, 2019
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour cooling
Yield
Makes 24 bars
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Frozen raspberries can be substituted for fresh, but be sure to defrost them before using. Quick oats will work, but the bars will be less chewy and flavorful; do not use instant oats. Do not use quick oats; they have a dusty texture that doesn't work in this recipe. Make sure to buy old-fashioned rolled oats. Do not omit xanthan gum; it is crucial to the structure of the bars.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan; spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour blend, granulated sugar, salt, and xanthan gum on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and continue to mix until dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Measure 1/2 cup dough into medium bowl and set aside. Distribute remaining dough evenly into prepared pan and press firmly into even layer using bottom of measuring cup. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- While crust is baking, add brown sugar, pecans, and oats to reserved dough; use hands to mix until well incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-size clumps; set streusel aside.
- Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in small bowl and mash with fork until combined but some berry pieces remain.
- Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Let bars cool completely in pan on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan, cut into squares, and serve. (Bars are best eaten on day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day; crust and streusel will soften.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 1 hour coolingYield
Makes 24 barsIngredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The trick to our gluten-free raspberry bars was finding the right balance between bright, tangy fruit filling; tender, buttery shortbread crust; and rich, crumbly topping. To streamline our recipe, we made a butter-rich shortbread dough that did double duty as both the bottom crust and the base for our streusel topping. After pressing part of the mixture into the pan, we added oats, brown sugar, nuts, and a little extra butter to the rest and pinched it into clumps to create our topping. These additions made a topping that was light and dry enough to adhere to the filling. For a fresh-tasting fruity filling that stayed neatly sandwiched between the base and topping, we combined fresh raspberries with raspberry jam. Adding a squeeze of lemon juice to the berries brightened the mix.
Before You Begin
Frozen raspberries can be substituted for fresh, but be sure to defrost them before using. Quick oats will work, but the bars will be less chewy and flavorful; do not use instant oats. Do not use quick oats; they have a dusty texture that doesn't work in this recipe. Make sure to buy old-fashioned rolled oats. Do not omit xanthan gum; it is crucial to the structure of the bars.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan; spray with vegetable oil spray.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour blend, granulated sugar, salt, and xanthan gum on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and continue to mix until dough forms and pulls away from sides of bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Measure 1/2 cup dough into medium bowl and set aside. Distribute remaining dough evenly into prepared pan and press firmly into even layer using bottom of measuring cup. Bake until edges begin to brown, 14 to 18 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
- While crust is baking, add brown sugar, pecans, and oats to reserved dough; use hands to mix until well incorporated. Pinch mixture with fingers to create hazelnut-size clumps; set streusel aside.
- Combine preserves, raspberries, and lemon juice in small bowl and mash with fork until combined but some berry pieces remain.
- Spread filling evenly over hot crust; sprinkle streusel topping evenly over filling (do not press streusel into filling). Return pan to oven and bake until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 22 to 25 minutes. Let bars cool completely in pan on wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift bars out of pan, cut into squares, and serve. (Bars are best eaten on day they are baked, but they can be cooled and placed immediately in airtight container and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day; crust and streusel will soften.)
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