Gluten Free Raspberry Bars

These gluten free raspberry crumb bars are easy to make and packed with protein since they’re baked with hazelnut flour. They have have a wonderful nutty flavor and are great for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Click the “jump to recipe” button above if you’re ready to get started, or scroll through below for some tips and tricks.

New Mexico Inspired

Previously, I shared a recipe for a honey lavender sugar scrub and mentioned my love for lavender. My husband, Pete, however, doesn’t share this love. Ha! While I think lavender is refreshing and floral, he thinks lavender tastes like soap. Okay. That’s fair. I can’t blame him.

So, when I tried one of the other recipes in the handmade lavender booklet I picked up on my trip to New Mexico, I left out the lavender. This recipe for gluten free raspberry crumble bars was one I couldn’t wait to try! It needed a few other tweaks for our taste (like a little less butter and a little more hazelnut), so I tested and re-tested a recipe until we had a perfectly nutty and sweet gluten free raspberry crumb bar made with hazelnut flour.

Neither of us is celiac, so we don’t have a gluten-free diet all the time. But I do like to have a bit of a nutritional reset after long weeks of travel, so sometimes we’ll go gluten-free. Or if we’re really feeling sluggish, we’ll do the Whole 30 diet for month. Life is all about balance, right?

Gluten Free Raspberry Crumb Bar Baking Tips

After testing this recipe a few times, here are a few tips before you get started.  

Use A 9×9 Baking Pan

First, since this recipe uses a 9×9 baking pan, flip the pan over to measure the parchment paper. This makes it easy to cut the exact size you need. If you wish to make more than 9 gluten free raspberry crumble bars, double the recipe below to use a 9×18 glass or non-stick baking pan.

How To Chop Hazelnuts

Second, the original recipe in the gift shop book called for chopped hazelnuts for the topping. Have you ever tried to chop hazelnuts? Let me tell you what could happen, they could end up ricocheting all over your kitchen. Instead, pour the hazelnuts into a quart-sized Ziplock sandwich bag, zip it up, and whack the heck out of those hazelnuts with the back of a wooden spoon. If you’ve had a stressful week, this part is especially cathartic. You could also pulse the hazelnuts in a food processor. Just make sure to not pulse to much as you’ll want a but of crunchy texture for your topping.

How To Make Hazelnut Flour

Gluten free flour options have become more readily available at large grocery stores and even on Amazon. But if you can’t find hazelnut flour, it is pretty easy to make from scratch.

Start by toasting hazelnuts in a skillet to bring out any excess oil and moisture. Toasting them also brings out a bit more depth of flavor. Since you’ll need about two cups of hazelnuts to make the flour for this gluten free raspberry crumb bar recipe, you might have to toast the hazelnuts in batches.

Using a dry skillet (no oil), heat hazelnuts over medium heat until fragrant, about 7-10 minutes. Stirr the nuts occasionally so they don’t burn. Once the hazelnuts are toasted, carefully pour the from the hot skillet to a kitchen towel and allow the hazelnuts to rest and cool for a minute or two. Then, using the kitchen towel, rub the hazelnuts to remove as much of the papery skin as possible. Don’t worry if there is still some skin left on the hazelnuts. 

Add the toasted hazelnuts to a food processor and pulse until hazenuts are evenly chopped into a fine powder.

Gluten Free Raspberry Crumb Bar Recipe

This recipe makes 9 delicious raspberry crumb bars, a perfect little energy snack for an afternoon hike or coffee break. And since they’re made with hazelnut flour, they’re gluten free. So, if you ignore the butter and count the jam as a “fruit,” these are totally healthy. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients For Raspberry Crumb Bars

• hazelnut flour
• brown sugar
• butter, melted
• salt
• raspberry preserves or jam

Ingredients For Topping

• hazelnut flour 
• chilled butter, chopped in small cubes 
• light brown sugar 
• gluten free rolled oats 
• hazelnuts

How To Make Gluten Free Raspberry Crumble Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×9 inch square baking pan with parchment. Then, stir together the hazelnut flour, brown sugar, melted butter, and 1/8 tsp salt.

Press the mixture into the bottom of prepared pan and bake until toasted, about 10-12 minutes.

While the crust is baking, pour the whole hazelnuts into a plastic sandwich bag, seal the bag, and crush the hazelnuts with the back of a wooden spoon.

After the bottom of the bars are toasted, let it cool for 5 minutes, then spread the raspberry jam over the base. Be sure to leave about a quarter inch space between the jam and the edge of the pan as the sugar will burn and stick to the edge.

In a medium sized bowl, press the 1/3 cup hazelnut flour and chilled butter together with a fork or pastry cutter until it resembles crumbs.

Add the sugar, oats, and crushed hazelnuts and mix together.

Scatter the crumble over the raspberry jam. Reduce heat to 300 and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes until golden.

Let cool for 30 minutes, then cut into 9 square bars.

Serve with coffee or tea and enjoy!

Originally Posted Mar 14, 2017. Updated 2023.