Raspberry Crumble Bars with Jaca
These are everything you want from a summer bar: a thick, buttery oat-and-brown-sugar crumble pressed into the pan, a jammy raspberry layer bursting with fresh berry flavor, and a shaggy crumble scattered over the top that bakes up golden and craggy. They taste like a fruit crumble met a crumb bar and the two decided to become the easiest dessert on your counter — perfect for cookouts, picnics, or a slab to keep in the fridge through a hot week. Our version swaps every bit of conventional sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount: 1 cup of granular Jaca in the raspberry filling in place of 1/2 cup sugar, and 4 cups in the crumble in place of 2 cups brown sugar, so you get the same sweet, tender, golden bars with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Because allulose is only about 70% as sweet as sugar, doubling it keeps the sweetness right where it should be — and since allulose browns faster than sugar, just keep an eye on the top and tent it loosely with foil if it colors before the bars are set. Adapted from Pinch of Yum. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 2 12-oz bags frozen raspberries (thawed and thoroughly drained; fresh also works in summer)
- 1 cup Jaca (allulose), granular (for the filling — replaces 1/2 cup granulated sugar at the 2x ratio, with no added sugar and no aftertaste)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for the filling)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (helps the raspberry layer set)
- 1 whole lemon (juiced, for the filling)
- 3 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned, not quick oats)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (for the crumble)
- 4 cups Jaca (allulose), granular (for the crumble — replaces 2 cups brown sugar at the 2x ratio; add 1 tablespoon molasses for a brown-sugar note if you like)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups salted butter (melted; use unsalted plus an extra pinch of salt if that is what you have)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sweetener Used
5 cups granular Jaca total (1 cup filling + 4 cups crumble) Allulose
Replaces: 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 2 cups brown sugar
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides so you can lift the bars out later.
- 2
Prep the raspberries: thaw the frozen berries in a colander under warm running water for about a minute, then let them drain for up to an hour until softened and well drained (skip the thaw if using fresh). Gently toss the drained raspberries with the 1 cup granular Jaca, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and the lemon juice.
- 3
Make the crumble: in a large bowl, stir together the rolled oats, 3 cups flour, 4 cups granular Jaca, baking powder, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the mixture is evenly moistened and crumbly.
- 4
Press two-thirds of the crumble firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan to form the base. Bake for 10 minutes.
- 5
Spread the raspberry filling evenly over the warm baked base, then scatter the remaining crumble loosely over the top so it looks shaggy and craggy.
- 6
Bake for 25-30 minutes more, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Because Jaca browns faster than sugar, check at the 20-minute mark and tent loosely with foil if the top is coloring too quickly.
- 7
Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then chill for a few hours so they firm up into clean bars — they slice much more neatly cold. Lift out using the parchment and cut into squares.
Pro Tips
- Drain the raspberries really well — extra liquid is the enemy of a sliceable bar, so give them the full hour in the colander if you can.
- Press the bottom crumble layer in firmly so it bakes into a sturdy base that holds up to the jammy filling on top.
- Jaca is about 70% as sweet as sugar, which is exactly why we double it — you get the same sweet, golden bars with no added sugar and no aftertaste.
- Allulose browns faster than sugar, so watch the top toward the end and tent it loosely with foil if it gets golden before the filling is bubbling.
- For a deeper brown-sugar flavor in the crumble, stir 1 tablespoon of molasses into the melted butter before mixing — it mimics what brown sugar would have added.
- These slice cleanest cold: cool fully, then chill a few hours before cutting. They keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.