A jammy blackberry lime filling is sandwiched between a shortbread crust and crumble topping in these gluten free and vegan dessert bars. These are perfect for enjoying during berry season with a scoop of dairy free ice cream!
I realized last week that I hadn’t shared a dessert recipe here in over 2 months! When I originally started this blog nearly 12 years ago, I would frequently post dessert recipes and baked goods. At the time, I was working a full time job in archaeology so baking was my creative outlet. Nowadays, my focus has shifted towards approachable seasonal eating. Thus, the majority of the recipes tend to be savory ones. Since I’d been dreaming of a berry crumble bar and berries are in season here, I figured it was the perfect time to switch things up and go in a sweet direction!
These blackberry lime crumble bars are incredibly simple and straightforward for a gluten free and vegan recipe. You only need 9 ingredients and a little over an hour to make them! They’re delicious on their own but if you’d like to make them a little more indulgent, pair them with a scoop of your favorite dairy free ice cream. If you’re in the homemade mood, I highly recommend either this honey sage one or this toasted pecan and date caramel one.
The Recipe Components
- The Blackberry Jam Layer – you’ll start by making a fairly quick blackberry jam with blackberries, lime juice, and granulated sugar. To make quick work of this step, I prefer to do it in a skillet. Using a skillet over a pot provides more surface area which means your jam thickens quicker. As the berries cook, you’ll gently mash them with your spoon to encourage them to break down. Once the jam is ready, you’ll remove it from the heat and stir in the lime zest.
- The Crust and Crumble Layers – the great news is that these are made from the same mixture! The only difference is that half of the mixture is patted into the bottom of your pan while the other half is crumbled and scattered over the top of the jam layer. The crust and crumble are made from a mixture of gluten free flour, salt, brown sugar, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract. It has a lightly sweetened shortbread-y taste that pairs really well with the berries.
Tips for Recipe Success
- Using a wide skillet or pot will make quicker work of the jam process! You can still use a standard stock pot, it will just take a little longer for the jam to thicken.
- Make sure to stir the lime zest in AFTER the jam has cooked. It keeps the lime flavor from being muddled and lost once the bars are baked.
- Don’t skip out on lining your pan with parchment paper! It makes it incredibly easy to lift out the bars once they’ve cooled and you’re ready to cut them.
- I recommend allowing the bars to cool fully before cutting into them. If you cut them while they’re hot or warm, they will be more crumbly, which is often the case with gluten free baked goods.
FAQ
Can I use a jam that’s already made to speed up the process? Absolutely! I recommend using about 12-14 ounces of blackberry jam. If you’d like to impart some of the lime flavor into the store-bought jam, you can stir the lime zest into it.
Do I need to make these gluten free if I can eat gluten? If you don’t need these to be gluten free, you can absolutely use regular all-purpose flour. Simply use an equal amount (300g) by weight!
Do I need to use vegan butter? You can use melted vegan or regular butter here. You can also use melted coconut oil.
Why are the measurements for the crust/crumble layer by weight? When I’m developing gluten free baked goods, it’s more accurate to use weight measurements versus volume (i.e. cups). I highly recommend investing in an inexpensive kitchen scale if you plan to do more gluten free baking!
Blackberry Lime Crumble Bars
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 9–16 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A jammy blackberry lime filling is sandwiched between a shortbread crust and crumble topping in these gluten free and vegan dessert bars. These are perfect for enjoying during berry season with a scoop of dairy free ice cream!
Ingredients
- 1 pound blackberries
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp lime zest plus more for garnish
- 300g gluten free 1:1 baking flour (I use this one)
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 100g dark brown sugar
- 200g vegan butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Start by making the blackberry jam layer. Set a skillet or wide sauce pan over medium heat. Add the blackberries, lime juice, and sugar and stir to coat the berries in the sugar. Once the berries start to release their juices and soften, begin to gently mash them to encourage them to break down. Once the berries are mostly broken down, stir the mixture every minute or two to prevent it from burning. The jam is ready once the juices have reduced and thickened enough that you can scrape your spoon across the bottom of the pan and the gap it leaves doesn’t immediately fill back in with jam. This will take about 15-20 minutes total. Once the jam is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the lime zest.
Pre-heat your oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8×8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and dark brown sugar. Using your fingers, break up any clumps of brown sugar. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla until you have a uniform dough. Add roughly half of the dough to your parchment lined pan and pat it into an even layer. If it doesn’t look like enough, add a bit more dough. You want an even layer that covers the entire bottom of the pan and is roughly 1/4-inch thick.
Next, spoon all of the jam onto the dough. Gently spread it into an even layer. Then, crumble the remaining dough over the top of the jam with your fingers, making sure to evenly distribute it. Bake the bars in your pre-heated 350F-degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until the juices of the jam are bubbling and the crumble on top is baked through and golden.
Allow the bars to cool for 30 minutes before slicing. For larger bars, cut into 9 squares. For smaller bars, cut into 16 squares. Before serving, you can sprinkle some lime zest over the top of the bars if you like.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Best if enjoyed within 2-3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: dessert
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