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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?
These are sooooooo good! A way less guilty version of the supermarket kind, but all the flavor! I didn’t have coconut on hand and just used more walnuts. They came out perfectly!
Absolutely delicious! I served these to some dinner guests as a test run for an upcoming event for which I’ve been tasked with a grain-free, dairy-free dessert. I am a “traditional” baker who uses butter and sugar without qualms, so I was skeptical. These were a massive hit! I did tweak a few things based on the comments about it being too soupy:
1) I baked the base for an extra 3-5 minutes to make it a bit crisper.
2) For the filling, I used sugar in lieu of maple syrup and thickened the jam with a cornstarch slurry (1-2 tsp dissolved in water), and then I chilled it well before using.
3) For the topping I used sweetened coconut and cooked the bars about 5 mins longer to get the top slightly golden versus pale.
I recognize that using sugar, cornstarch, and sweetened coconut might not work for some folks who have strict dietary requirements, but those items were not stricken from my list. I just had to steer clear of gluten, oats, and dairy.
Everyone went bonkers for these, and they held their bar shape nicely! I will bring these to my event with confidence that they’ll be a huge hit.
Thanks for sharing– it’s super helpful!!
Yummmmmm!!! I’ve made and loved a bunch of your recipes and this one inspired me to finally write to say thank you. Thank you! These were outstanding. I used frozen blueberries and subbed some oat flour for the almond flour because I ran out — sensational. I will be making these frequently 🙂
Hi! I’m hoping to make these for Valentine’s Day and use heart shaped cookie cutters to gift to friends (I’ll keep the scraps for myself).
These tuned out awesome. Just the right amount of sweet. Next time I’ll sub pecans for walnuts since walnuts aren’t my favorite and sub oats for the coconut (also not my favorite). I used frozen raspberries since we have so many leftover from summer smoothie ingredients. I can’t wait to try more recipes on your site.
These looks delicious! I see you had the calorie count. I am trying to watch my carbs. I was wondering what the carb and fiber count is if you have it. Thanks!
Loved this recipe and have made it three times. I substituted agave nectar for the maple syrup and it worked out just fine. I believe it hardens a little bit more with the syrup, but I left it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. It’s delicious. Thank you for posting this recipe!
I’m glad you’re enjoying it!
The raspberry jam and the topping were great, but the base didn’t hold together. You could eat it with a fork but by no means as a bar.
Setting as I write this, I did add some chia seeds to the filling after reading some of the comments about the filling not setting and used home partially roasted almonds to make a dry almond meal for the base, seems to have crusted nicely and doesn’t look like it will crumble.. also made a few Keto friendly tweaks… can’t .wait to try it when It’s all together! Thanks for the recipe!
OK, I’m a knucklehead! My bad. I used the WRONG measuring spoon! SCRATCH my previous post and forgive my rash response. Yeesh!
I’m still going to eat it!