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Almond Berry Bars

ByJenn Giam Smith
finished bars cut up on a bamboo board

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It’s berry season and I’m all for it! I must admit that berries are some of my favorite additions for breakfast, dessert, and even dinner/lunch. I’m all about it when they’re in season. This Almond Berry Bar recipe is everything you want in yummy sticky summer baked goods.

A few years ago I shared my wild blackberry and orange muffins. This year I’m showing you that gluten-free can be more than “good”, it can be amazingly delicious, and sharing my almond berry bars. These babies have a vibrant berry filling, a subtle almond flavor, and a buttery, gooey, and crunchy texture. It can be breakfast, brunch, or dessert! This is the perfect way to celebrate berry season!

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But don’t feel like you need to wait for berry season. I made sure you can use fresh or frozen berries. So you can make this ANYTIME!

THE PROCESS

It’s a bit of a process, but it’s still very simple. So don’t feel like it’s too intimidating. Honestly, most of the timing for these bars is due to baking and cooling. Not in making the bars. to get the full recipe, keep scrolling.

  • Start by making the crust and topping mixture (Great place to Include the Kids).
  • Pack down ⅔ of the crumble to the baking sheet, and then add and mix the almond slices to the remaining crumble.
  • Next, make the filling. As soon as it’s done. CAREFULLY pour over the crust and with a heat-resistant silicone spatula, spread the filling across the crust.
  • then top with the reaming crumble that you added the almonds to.
  • Bake in the oven until golden and bubbly.
  • Let cool in the pan until easy to touch. Lift the bars out with the parchment paper and sit on a cutting board for cutting (they will still be warm, this a great time to serve with ice cream).
  • Or… let them cool completely, cut, and enjoy!
what the finished crumble looks like after mixing before pushing it into the pan. this post
Crust pressed into the pan ready for the filling next to the bowl with the remainder of the crumble that will become the topping.
Adding almonds to the remaining crumble for the topping of the Almond Berry Bar
Stirring Berry Filling before it starts to cook and boil.
starting to pour the berry filling onto the crust.
beginning to spreadthe berry filling onto the crust.
me finishing putting the topping on top of the hot berry filling.
Almond Berry Bar layers finished and in the pan before being baked.
finished Almond Berry Bar on a bamboo cutting board before the bars are cut.
Finished Almond Berry Bar with ice cream on a white ceramic plate and bars in the background on a bamboo cutting board.
finished bars cut up on a bamboo board
Ideas

COOKING WITH KIDS

DISCLOSURE: Please keep in mind that the following tips are general and are meant to be suggestive. I personally use these strategies with my own kids, who are all unique even within my own family of five. Therefore, please regard these as suggestions or ideas. If you feel that your child requires more or less assistance, then go with what you and your child are comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your child best.

  • younger kids:
  • Measure out the ingredients, then have them put each one into little bowls for you or them to add.
  • mixing the dry ingredients
  • older kids:
  • measure out the ingredients; you could have them do what the younger kids do, or they can just place them in the mixing bowl. It really depends on how much you trust their measuring.
  • mix the dry ingredients
  • Add in the butter and mix the crumble
  • press down the crumble into the pan.
  • add the crumble to the top, if they understand that the filling is extremely hot and can NOT be touched.
  • tweens/teens:
  • everything the older kids can do, plus ↓
  • make the filling
  • make the bars
  • cut the bars

Below you’ll see my seven-year-old is mixing the dry ingredients first and then adding the butter. I also let her mix everything together.

my daughter stirring the dry ingredients for the crumble
one of my daughter's adding the butter to the Almond Berry Bar Crumble

I topped the bars with the crumble because it’s very hot.

me continueing to put the topping on top of the hot berry filling.

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finished bars cut up on a bamboo board

Almond Berry Bars

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Crazy good berry almond bars that have a vibrant berry filling, almond flavor, and a buttery, gooey, and crunchy texture. The perfect way to celebrate berry season!

  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 16 Bars 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

Berry Filling

Crumb Crust & Topping

Instructions

  1. Prepare your crumb crust and topping. Line a 12.5 x 9.7 x 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper (make sure the parchment paper lines the edges for easy removal and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Making the crust and topping

  1. Mix oats, sugar, flour, tapioca starch, Chinese 5-spice, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Mix in butter and vanilla with a fork making sure to cover every piece and break up into a crumbly mixture.
  2. Press in about ⅔ of the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of your pan using your hands and being sure that you press into all four corners.
  3. Add the almond slices to the ⅓ remaining mixture and toss around until the almonds are distributed evenly. Set aside.

Make the Filling

  1. Toss the berries, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Turn your burner to medium-high heat, at first it will seem dry. Start stirring continuously, as the liquid comes out from the berries bring everything to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and allow the berries to cook down until tender and everything has thickened to almost a jam-like consistency – this should take about 10 minutes (possibly longer if frozen).

Construct the bars

  1. Remove the saucepan from heat and CAREFULLY pour evenly over the crust, then spread out over the top of your crust.
  2. Top the filling with the remaining crumb that you added the almonds to. Covering as best you can (think like a cobbler).
  3. Bake the entire thing for 30 minutes or until the crumb topping is a nice golden brown in color and the filling is bubbling around the outer edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan, before cutting into squares. Or you could serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream (Fair warning cutting into squares and keeping it shape is harding when they are warm, but it is beyond amazing warm with some vanilla ice cream).

If cutting the bars

  1. Once cooled, using the parchment paper lift the entire thing from the pan and place it on top of a cutting board. Cut into evenly sized bars. I cut into 16 bars, but cut them into any size you want.

Equipment

Notes

Substitutions

  1. Tapioca Starch: Corn Starch (1 to 1 Ratio replacement)
  2. Chinese Five Spice: Cinnamon & cloves (⅛ of teaspoon each)
  3. Unsalted Butter: Ghee or Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used (1 to 1 Ratio replacement)
  • Author: Jenn Giam Smith
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack
  • Cuisine: American
Finished Almond Berry Bar with ice cream on a white ceramic plate next to remaining bars on a bamboo cutting board.

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©Photo, Prop Styling, and Food Styling by Jenn Smith owner of Jenn Giam Smith; Jenn Smith, LLC

My name is Jenn, I'm wife to a true blue Wisconsin Man and mom of 5. I'm here sharing my passion for food, craft, family, & life (especially my love of Wisconsin)! I grew up in a food-oriented family. Most of my recipes are a mix of fun and easy (sometimes fast), and when I can... I add a bit of my family's Chinese-American-European roots.

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