Almond Flour Blackberry Crumb Bars made dairy-free and lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup for a wholesome treat. These delicious blackberry bars are vegan, refined sugar-free and paleo friendly.
Fruity crumb bars disappear in a split second in the hands of my household.
My family just loves a sweet treat that involves a buttery crust and a jammy fruit filling.
My Paleo Blueberry Crumb Bars and my Low-Carb Blueberry Crumb Bars have been fan favorites ever since I shared them because they are just so delicious and incredibly easy to make.
Naturally that meant I needed to make a blackberry version, right?
These blackberry crumb bars have a rich buttery flavor to them in spite of the fact that they’re dairy-free.
Made with just a handful of basic ingredients, simple to prepare and no fancy maneuvering involved, these blackberry crumb bars may just be your new favorite summer dessert.
There is no cutting cold butter into flour with a food processor or electric mixer to make pie dough or any such fancy maneuvers.
All you need is a medium bowl, a baking dish, and some fresh seasonal ingredients and you’ll be on your way to delicious blackberry crumb bars.
And because fruit is involved, we collectively see these yummy treats as being guilt-free.
If you don’t follow a grain-free diet and prefer using a regular gluten-free flour blend over almond flour, make my 5-Ingredient Blackberry Pie Bars which use a GF blend.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for these Almond Flour Blackberry Crumb Bars.
Ingredients for Almond Flour Blackberry Crumb Bars:
Almond Flour: The base and crumb topping is made up of a combination of almond flour, coconut oil and pure maple syrup.
I love the almond flour in this recipe because it has great texture, tastes rich, and adds healthy fats to the treat. For the best results, use finely ground almond flour rather than almond meal.
Coconut Oil (or Butter): The all star ingredient that adds flavor, moisture and richness to the blackberry crumble bars is coconut oil. You can easily swap it out for melted butter if you prefer.
Pure Maple Syrup: These healthier crumb bars are sweetened with pure maple syrup for a treat that’s only lightly sweet. Pure maple syrup is used both in the crust and topping mixture as well as the blackberry filling mixture.
If you like your desserts very sweet, add some cane sugar or brown sugar to the blackberry filling.
Fresh Blackberries: Juicy sweet fresh blackberries are the reason we’re gathering here today! Make the most of blackberry season by enjoying them in this delicious dessert.
If you don’t have access to fresh blackberries, frozen blackberries can be used no matter the time of year.
Tapioca Flour: Used to thicken the jammy blackberry filling, we use tapioca flour which is commonly used as an alternative for cornstarch or flour for thickening.
Feel free to swap it out with arrowroot flour or cornstarch.
Sea Salt: A pinch of sea salt turns up the volume on all of the flavors.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and a little fresh lemon zest to the blackberry filling if you have fresh lemons on hand.
- If you keep vanilla extract on hand, add 1 teaspoon to the crust mixture.
- Substitute cassava flour for almond flour.
- Use your favorite berries instead of blackberries. All fresh berries like raspberries, strawberries and blueberries work here.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients list, let’s bake some delicious blackberry bars!
How to Make Almond Flour Blackberry Crumb Bars:
Prepare the Crust and Topping:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
Add all of the ingredients for the shortbread crust and topping to a large bowl or mixing bowl and mix well until the ingredients are combined.
No need to separate the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients – they can all be mixed together simultaneously. The mixture should resemble a fairly dry cookie dough.
Measure out ½ cup of the dough and set it aside to use as the crumble topping.
Transfer the remaining crust mixture into the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer. Poke several holes into the dough with a fork.
Bake the crust on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown around the edges.
Prepare the Blackberry Filling:
Add all of the ingredients for the blackberry filling to a medium saucepan and mix well. Cover the pan and heat over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a full boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and mash the blackberries into smaller pieces using a fork or back of a spoon. Continue cooking and stirring until the filling is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Make the Blackberry Bars:
Pour the blackberry filling mixture over the prepared crust and spread it evenly over the crust.
Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the blackberry layer.
Bake bars on the center rack (still at 350) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the blackberry mixture is bubbly.
Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving.
To speed up this process, you can allow the bars to cool for 10-15 minutes (until the pan is cool enough to touch), then transfer your bars to the refrigerator to chill the rest of the way.
Transfer the bars to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut individual bars.
Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
The bars can be stored at room temperature covered in plastic wrap, but any longer than 2 days, I would recommend refrigeration.
You can also freeze the bars in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
For a decadent dessert, serve these easy bars with a scoop of ice cream.
And that’s it! Delicious bars with amazing juicy blackberries and buttery crumble that is perfect for late summer baking.
I enjoy eating them warm with a cup of coffee or mug of afternoon tea.
The next time you’re craving a blackberry dessert, whip up these healthy blackberry crumb bars!
Check out my Paleo Blackberry Cobbler recipe if you’re into blackberry recipes.
If you enjoy fruit crumble bars like these easy blackberry crumble bars, also try out these reader favorites.
More Fruit Dessert Bars:
- No-Bake Paleo Lemon Bars
- Vegan Strawberry Crumb Bars
- Keto Strawberry Crumb Bars
- Keto Lemon Bars
- 4-Ingredient Banana Oatmeal Bars
- 5-Ingredient Raspberry Crumb Bars
Buttery blackberry bars for breakfast!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust and Topping:
- 2 ½ cups superfine almond flour
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil*
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- Pinch sea salt
Blackberry Filling:
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
- 3 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
Prepare the Crust and Topping:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add all of the ingredients for the shortbread crust and topping to a large bowl or mixing bowl and mix well until the ingredients are combined. No need to separate the dry ingredients from the wet ingredients – they can all be mixed together simultaneously. The mixture should resemble a fairly dry cookie dough.
- Measure out ½ cup of the dough and set it aside to use as the crumble topping.
- Transfer the remaining crust mixture into the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer. Poke several holes into the dough with a fork.
- Bake the crust on the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden brown around the edges.
Prepare the Blackberry Filling:
- Add all of the ingredients for the blackberry filling to a medium saucepan and mix well. Cover the pan and heat over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a full boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and mash the blackberries into smaller pieces using a fork or back of a spoon. Continue cooking and stirring until the filling is thick, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Make the Blackberry Bars:
- Pour the blackberry filling mixture over the prepared crust and spread it evenly over the crust.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the blackberry layer.
- Bake bars on the center rack (still at 350) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the blackberry mixture is bubbly.
- Remove the bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before slicing and serving. To speed up this process, you can allow the bars to cool for 10-15 minutes (until the pan is cool enough to touch), then transfer your bars to the refrigerator to chill the rest of the way.
- Transfer the bars to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut individual bars.
- Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. The bars can be stored at room temperature covered in plastic wrap, but any longer than 2 days, I would recommend refrigeration. You can also freeze the bars in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
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