Enjoy layers of delicious dessert starting with a buttery, gluten-free shortbread crust covered with a slightly-sweet, slightly-tart filling, and topped with a cookie crumble. These gluten-free raspberry bars will soon become a timeless treat in your recipe vault.
Preheat your oven to 350º F. Grease an 8x8 square baking pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang so you can easily remove the bars from the pan.
To prepare the cookie crust, combine the flour, oats, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl. Give it a stir until combined.
Add the melted butter and mix well with a spatula. It will be a slightly wet slightly dry mixture with many clumps. Use your hands to clump parts of the mixture together.
Add two-thirds of the cookie mixture to the bottom of your greased pan, reserving one-third of the mixture in a bowl for the topping. Press the mixture firmly in place using the palm of your hands. Place the reserved one-third cookie mixture in the freezer to harden a bit while you prepare the raspberry filling.
For the raspberry filling, combine the raspberries, lemon juice, cornstarch and jam in a medium bowl and stir to combine well, breaking up the raspberries as you gently mix them. Spread the raspberry mixture evenly on top of the prepared cookie crust using a spatula.
Add the remaining one-third of the cookie crust to the top of the raspberries, spreading it out and ensuring there are small and big chunks of cookie topping.
Bake for 45 minutes until the top begins to brown and the raspberry filling is slightly bubbly.
Allow the mixture to cool completely in the baking pan before handling and then refrigerate for 1 hour before cutting into 16 squares.
Notes
Be sure to allow the mixture to fully cool before removing it from the pan and cutting it. It will be easier to remove from the pan and cut into beautiful, evenly-sized squares when it's cold. This recipe has been tested with Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour blend. Using another flour blend may net mixed results. If your flour blend does not include xanthan gum, add 1/2 tsp xanthan gum.Be sure to use gluten-free oats (oats must be labeled gluten free). Bob's Red Mill makes oats that are labeled gluten free and that are produced in a dedicated GF facility.You can use dairy-free butter instead of regular butter if you follow a dairy-free diet.Store leftover raspberry bars in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve with fresh raspberries for a festive dessert!