These Raspberry Almond Crumb Brownies are filled with raspberry jam and then topped with an almond-y buttery-crumble. Oh, did I mention the brown butter? Yeah. Originally published July 18, 2015.
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Do you ever write random notes to yourself on your phone that you can’t interpret later? I’ve heard of people doing this when they wake up in the middle of the night, but I don’t even have the excuse of a sleepy stupor to explain the weird things I find in my notes sometimes. Like this one:
Cut Truman’s hair.
Bath
Wrap presents.
Sometimes I wipe my hands in my socks.
“In” should be “on,” of course, as any decent texter should know. But WHAT AM I WIPING ON MY SOCKS?? I’m a little creeped out. I also just found this one, “No one can hug my knees either, though. I sound like a crazy jailer.” Wth??
In my defense, I use my notes to record ideas I have for potential blog stories, hence the wiping hands on my socks story. Because who wouldn’t think THAT was funny?
In other news, I’ve become obsessed with Taylor Swift 5 years after the rest of the world. Typical Karen Standard Time. Her stuff is so freaking catchy. I’m totally digging her early music. Have you noticed that after you listen to a song on YouTube now, it keeps playing other songs it thinks you will like? When I listen to her early stuff, it brings me straight up Shania Twain and stuff, which is not my usual thing (, but I’m kind of loving it.
I’m obsessed with these raspberry brownies with almond crumb topping
So have you guys seen raspberries on sale at the store yet? Even if you haven’t, these brownies are still for you. They are for everyone. Shout it from the rooftops. Thick, decadent, brown-butter (of course) brownies, studded with raspberries, smeared with jam, and crumbled with a sugary almond crust. IT’S SO GOOD. This is adapted from Lovely Little Kitchen‘s Raspberry Almond Crumb Bars, which are amazing as is. I just wanted to try the idea with brownie and love how it turned out. (If you haven’t been to Julie’s blog, then go on, get. She’s amazing.)
Key ingredients
- You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in this recipe. Here’s a fun raspberry (or any berry) tip: I read somewhere that unless you absolutely need them to be fresh for a garnish or something, frozen raspberries are more “fresh” than ones in the produce department. Meaning that they were picked at their peak and then frozen right away, whereas fresh ones have been shipped and sat in a store for days. So if they are going to be cooked down anyway, I buy frozen ones (if they are cheaper).
- I like to use raspberry preserves instead of jam as preserves have chunks of whole raspberries in it. More raspberryish if you ask me.
- Use unsweetened cocoa powder to give these brownies a rich, pure chocolate flavor. Don’t use sweetened cocoa mixes or drinking chocolate, it won’t give you the same deep, chocolatey flavor.
How to make raspberry almond crumb brownies
Start by making the browned butter. You want to brown the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir it occasionally as it melts and foams. After a few minutes, the foam will subside, and little brown bits will begin to form on the bottom of the pan. Once the butter turns a beautiful golden brown and smells so amazing you wish you could bottle it as perfume, it’s ready.
As soon as the butter is browned, pour it immediately over the sugar and cocoa mixture to stop it from cooking any further. You want browned butter, not burned butter.
Beat everything together until the mixture is smooth and almost creamy. Mix in the salt, water, and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the flour and chocolate chips and stir just until combined. The batter is going to be thick, think wet cement.
Finally, it’s time for the streusel. Make sure the butter is COLD. You can even pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before you add it to the other streusel ingredients.
Spread the batter evenly into your prepared pan, then dollop (yes, dollop… that´s the technical cooking term) the raspberry preserves over the top, then use a butter knife to gently swirl them into the batter.
Key word here is gently. You want ribbons of raspberry; you´re not frosting the brownies with the preserves. Then press the fresh raspberries evenly into the batter.
Let the brownies cool for a bit before slicing into bars…or don’t. I can’t resist warm brownies.
I brought this to a church potluck a few weeks ago and it went like gangbusters. There are no compliments quite like the ones from bespectacled old men in suspenders with a mouthful of brownie telling me, “These are real good, Karen!”
How to store raspberry brownies
Once the brownies have cooled completely, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Because of the fresh raspberries, I like to transfer any leftovers to the refrigerator after that, where they’ll stay fresh for another 3 to 4 days.
Can I reheat these brownies?
Sure! If you love a warm, gooey brownie (who doesn’t?), pop an individual brownie in the microwave for about 10 to 15 seconds. The chocolate gets melty, and the raspberry preserves soften up. I recommend serving it alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream, but that´s just me (ok no it’s not, go make sure you have ice cream right now).
Can I freeze leftover brownies?
Yes! These brownies freeze beautifully! Let them cool completely, then wrap individual bars tightly in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter for an hour or two, then warm in the microwave for a few seconds if you want that fresh-from-the-oven taste.
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Raspberry Almond Crumb Brownies
Ingredients
For the brownies:
- 1 & 1/4 cups salted butter
- 2 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, high quality , optional
On top:
- 6 tablespoons raspberry preserves
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
Streusel:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 4 tablespoons butter, cold, cubed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 9×13 baking dish by lining with parchment paper or foil and then spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Or just spray the pan.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. The butter will foam up, then back down and start forming brown colored milk solids or “bits”. When it is a nice light brown and it starts to smell like you could drink it straight, that’s when you know it’s done.
- While your butter is browning, combine sugar and cocoa in a bowl or stand mixer.
- Once the butter is nice and brown, immediately pour the butter into the bowl with the sugar and cocoa (so that it stops cooking. You don’t want it to burn). Beat the mixture until it is smooth, almost creamy.
- Add the salt, water, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing in between each addition.
- Add the flour and chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated. Batter will be about the consistency of cement. Have a taste. It’s awesome.
- Use a sturdy rubber spatula to spread batter in the 9×13 pan.
- Dollop 6 tablespoons of preserves on top of the brownies. Use a knife to swirl it together (don’t overdo it). Press 1 cup of raspberries evenly throughout the batter.
- Meanwhile, make the streusel. In a medium bowl combine sugar, flour, and almonds. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the cold butter.
- Sprinkle the mixture on top of the brownie batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean and the streusel has started to brown.
- Cut into bars and serve hot!
Notes
Nutrition
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Oh my! These are so decadent! I’m always behind the times when it comes to music too.
What a cool (and delicious!) idea, Karen! :)
Goodness me these look amazing!!! haha and yes, I definitely leave post-it notes to myself that make no sense later – I’m old school apparently :)
Thanks for the love Karen! I’m going to make these and they are going to knock my socks off! And then I’ll wipe my hands on them…???? :0)
These looks so incredibly good! Look at that chocolate-y decadence! I positively love it. Plus, brown butter…hello, thank you, buh bye cause those brownies ain’t lasting too long in front of me. And I’m with you on the TSwift..totally late to the game, but loving her. P.S. I like your gold glitter nail polish!! :)
Holy Moley these look killer!!! I love raspberry and chocolate together and your brownie looks so moist and chewy, perfect! I loved your note story. I write little notes on pieces of paper as reminders and a lot of times I either forget where I put it or can’t interpret what I wrote. Oh well I guess. :)
Can you just bring a pan of these brownies over to my house, like STAT? NEED
These look fabulous! They’re like jam bars and brownies combined :) And alll your other brownie/bar recipes look killer. Pinning!
OMG- I wish I was at that potluck! I would have gone toe to toe brownie eating with anyone in suspenders :) I feel like I am a teenager with my music selection these days- 1989 is on constant play! Followed by One Direction. Gah! Get me these brownies!
I don’t know how you come up with this stuff Karen, but it’s all pretty freakin’ amazing! I think you should call your blog “The Food GENIUS!”
These look like some serious yumminess! My kids are going to LOVE these!
YES! I have all sorts of notes in my phone (do you use Evernote? It’s awesome!) but my problem is my big clumsy fingers and autocorrect. Half the time the words aren’t even close to what I was trying to type. LOL. These brownie-raspberry-almond bars look beyond amazing. And they are too pretty!
Whoa, lady, these brownies are brilliant! What an awesome dessert mash-up. And I love the random notes you leave for yourself and getting a glimpse into the (somewhat scary) inner workings of Karen ;)
Sale or no sale – I’m getting raspberries today because these brownies look epic and need to happen! The almond crumb – swoon!