Published: · Modified: by Kristen Massad · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments
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The Best Jam Shortbread Bars are made with butter, brown sugar, flour and your favorite jam. These layered bars are easy to make and are so perfect for a quick and easy dessert to share with family and friends.
Jam Shortbread Bars are made by creaming together butter, light brown sugar and vanilla extract and then slowly adding flour to create a crumble texture. This dough will be the base and the topping of this bar and your favorite jam as the filling. I love playing around with different flavor jams and keeping them festive for the season.
Dessert Bars are really great to serve a crowd and easy to whip up for a last minute treat. I love the ease of pressing the batter into a pan, baking and cutting. If you love these Easy Jam Shortbread Bars, you are sure to love our Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars or our famous Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Blondies.
Ingredients
Butter-Unsalted butter at room temperature will make these bars tender and have the perfect crumble.
Sugar-I love the addition of light brown sugar in these dessert bars. The molasses that is naturally in brown sugar adds an extra boost of flavor and keeps them super moist.
Flour-No need for fancy flour, all purpose flour will work great in this recipe and create the perfect texture.
Jam- There is no right answer here! You choose your favorite Jam for these Jam Shortbread Bars. I love to switch the jam flavors out seasonally but I always love a classic raspberry jam, strawberry or apricot.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream together the butter, light brown sugar and vanilla extract until fully combined
- On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt to the butter mixture until it becomes a crumbly texture
- Add ¾ of the shortbread dough to the prepared pan and press down to create a flat and even surface
- Spread the jam on top of the shortbread base and then add the remaining crumble to the top of the jam
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the shortbread turns a light golden color
- Remove the Jam Shortbread Bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before removing them from the pan (refrigerate if you are in a rush)
- Once the bars are cool, remove them from the pan and cut them into the desired shape and size
Tips and FAQS To Make The Best Dessert Bars
Sugar
Using light brown sugar in this recipe really keeps the dough very tender and soft because of the molasses in the brown sugar!
Dough Texture
The dough will be very crumbly and will not fully come together. This is CORRECT! Once you press the dough into the pan it will come together for the base and will still create the perfect crumb topping
How To Store The Bars
These bars can be enjoyed the day you make them, can be store in an airtight container for 5-6 day or can be frozen for up to three months.
Can I Choose Any Jam?
The flavor of the jam does not matter, just be sure that is a nice and thick consistency and not to watery of a jam.
What is the difference between Jam and Jelly?
Both jam and jelly is made with fruit, the main difference is that a jelly is typically made with a fruit juice and a jam is made with whole fruit and the juice and then mashed.
More Bars You Will Love
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
- Funfetti Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars
- The Best Chewy Pecan Bars
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Blondies
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The Best Jam Shortbread Bars
The Best Jam Shortbread Bars are made with butter, brown sugar, flour and your favorite jam. These layered bars are easy to make and are so perfect for a quick and easy dessert to share with family and friends.
5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: Dessert
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
Servings: 16
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Kristen Massad
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ - ¾ Cup Jam Any Flavor
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper
In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, cream together the butter, light brown sugar and vanilla extract until fully combined
On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt to the butter mixture until it becomes a crumbly texture
Add ¾ of the shortbread dough to the prepared pan and press down to create a flat and even surface
Spread the jam on top of the shortbread base and then add the remaining crumble to the top of the jam
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the shortbread turns a light golden color
Remove the Jam Shortbread Bars from the oven and allow them to cool completely before removing them from the pan (refrigerate if you are in a rush)
Once the bars are cool, remove them from the pan and cut them into the desired shape and size
Serve or store in an airtight container for 4-5 days
Nutrition
Serving: 16servings | Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 49mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Mary Contryman says
I made these for my family and they loved the bars. I am making them again for another family gathering.Kristen Massad says
Yay! These are definitely a favorite around here and I am so happy your family enjoyed them!
Reply
Laura says
Very yummy!! Great that it was only a few ingredients and came together quickly with awesome instructions!Reply
Kristen Massad says
I am so happy you loved these bars as much as we do!
Reply
Ilan says
I halved the recipe. End result was enjoyed by all, but I have questions:
- batter wasn't crumbly, even after addition of some ground almonds, it 'gelled' into a uniform mass, from which I had to create the top crumbs by hand (should have tried to grate the mass)
- bottom was tasty, but had a tendency to collapse into crumbs
Any hints for the repeat? Thx.Reply
Kathie says
I doubled this recipe and used a large bar pan. I don't know if it's because I doubled it but I didn't feel there was enough dough for the top and it wasn't crumbly, so I added about 3/4 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of sugar to stretch the amount and make it more crumbly. That worked well. Delicious buttery taste!Reply
Kristen Massad says
Yes, doubling the recipe can definitely change things a bit, but I am so happy you added a little more crumble and you loved them!
Happy Baking,
KristenReply
JMB says
Very easy to make and so delicious. Somebody stop me from polishing the lot off!Reply
Kristen Massad says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed these!
Thanks for sharing,
KristenReply
Shellie says
I doubled recipe, and time increased by about 15 min. I suggest parbaking the crust 10 min. if you do this next time, as it is not done as it should be, but still very yummy.
Reply
Kristen Massad says
Hi Shellie,
Thank you so much for your feedback! This is a great recipe to double and would definitely need extra baking time and great idea to partake the crust as well for a larger recipe! So happy you enjoyed them:)
Happy Baking,
KristenReply
Kristen Massad says
So easy and so fun to make! I love changing out the jam flavors, but our favorite its raspberry!Reply
