These easy and jammy Triple Berry Bars are made with a buttery oatmeal shortcrust, a juicy filling of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, and a crisp oat topping. They’re sweet, tart and perfect for summer baking, but can totally be made year-round. Perfect for breakfast, snack, brunch or a sweet treat.
Also try some of my other dessert bar recipes: Rhubarb Custard Bars and Lemon Pistachio Bars.
Triple Berry Bars: Recipe at a Glance
Prep + Cool Time
60 mins
Cook Time
60 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
Servings
9 Bars
Calories*
377 kcal
Difficulty
Easy
Main Ingredients
Fresh berries, sugar, lemon, all-purpose flour, oats, butter and baking soda.
Technique
Making shortcrust dough in a food processor, pressing it into a baking dish, preparing fruit mixture, preparing crisp topping, assembling, baking and slicing the bars.
*Calories are estimated
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make: The oatmeal shortcrust comes together quickly in a food processor and gets pressed directly into the baking pan. No rolling pin needed in this simple recipe!
- Perfect for berry season: Tart blueberries, raspberries and juicy strawberries come together in a sweet-tart filling that really celebrates summer fruit.
- Tested and Reliable: Groceries are expensive! All my Dessert Recipes are tested by me, my team and/or recipe testers before posting.
Ingredients
This is a very straightforward recipe and so are the ingredients. Just a handful of pantry and fridge staples and berries. Here is what you will need:
- Oats: Used in the crust and topping. They give the shortcrust and topping a hearty texture and subtle nutty flavor. Rolled or quick oats will work, but I prefer rolled oats myself. It’s what I use in many of my other dessert recipes like my Apple Oatmeal Muffins, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Tahini Sesame Topping, and Blueberry Peach Crisp.
- Sugar: So I totally think white sugar works best here. The white sugar won’t overpower the fruit like brown sugar would. But if you really want to use brown sugar, you can.
- Butter: Keep the butter cold and cut it into cubes before using in both the base and the topping. Cold butter helps create a tender shortcrust and those delicious crumbly clusters on top. I recommend using unsalted here, since there is salt added to the recipe, but if you only have salted butter, go ahead and use it; just omit the salt from the rest of the recipe.
- Berries: I am using a combination of fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh strawberries here. But you can mix it up, use another berry like blackberries, or just keep the recipe simple with one single berry. I recommend cutting your strawberries up so they are a similar size to the rest of the smaller berries. If you have extra berries on hand, try some of my other recipes like: Macerated Strawberries, Strawberry Black Pepper Balsamic Jam, Blueberry Compote with Maple Syrup and Strawberry Rhubarb Galette with Almond Crust.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens all those delicious berry juices into a jammy filling as the bars bake. Don’t omit!
Refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make this Triple Berry Bars Recipe
Step 1. Preheat Oven and Assemble Shortcrust. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. To a food processor, add the all-purpose flour, sugar, lemon zest, oats, salt, baking soda and cubed butter.
Step 2. Process. Pulse the mixture until crumbs form. The mixture shouldn’t be too dry, and should come together when pressed with your fingers. If the mix is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse again. Note: You could make the crust in a large mixing bowl and use a pastry cutter.
Step 3. Transfer, Press and Par-Bake. Transfer the short crust dough to the prepared pan. Using your fingertips, a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup, press down evenly, making sure the mixture goes all the way to the edges and is as even as possible. Bake the crust for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
Step 4. Make Berry Mixture. While the crust par-bakes, combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
Step 5. Make Topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt and butter. Using your fingers, press and squeeze the butter with the other ingredients to create marble-sized crumbs. There shouldn’t be any loose pockets of flour remaining.
Step 6. Add Fruit and Topping. Remove the crust from the oven. Scatter the triple berry filling mixture and then the topping. Try to be as even as possible, but don’t worry about getting perfect coverage with the topping.
Step 7. Bake Until Bubbling. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit bubbles. That bubbling is important because the filling needs to get hot enough for the cornstarch to properly thicken the fruit juices.
Step 8. Rest and Slice. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 45-60 minutes. Then carefully remove the slab and cut into squares on a cutting board. You can sprinkle powdered sugar before serving if you wish.
Troubleshooting
The berry filling is too runny: I have made fruit bars like this many times over the years, and the key is to make sure the fruit is visibly bubbling before removing the bars from the oven. The filling needs to reach a high enough temperature for the cornstarch to thicken the berry juices. Also, let the bars cool completely before slicing.
The crust mixture is too dry: The mixture should hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it doesn’t, add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse again.
The crust is soggy: Don’t skip the 15-minute par-bake. This gives the oatmeal shortcrust a head start before adding the juicy berry filling. I tested this recipe once without the par-bake step, and the crust was not as snappy as I would have liked.
The bars fall apart when sliced: They’re probably still too warm. I know it’s hard to do, but let the bars cool for at least 45-60 minutes, or completely for the cleanest slices, before cutting.
Expert Tips
- Use a metal baking dish. For best results, I highly recommend using a square metal pan here, with straight edges to give you the best-looking finished bars.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is important for both the shortcrust and topping. It helps give the base its short, crumbly texture and creates distinct buttery clusters in the topping rather than one solid layer.
- Don’t overprocess the crust. Pulse just until you have moist crumbs that hold together when pressed. You aren’t trying to create a smooth ball of dough.
- Press the crust firmly and evenly. Pay particular attention to the corners and edges of the pan. An even crust means the finished bars will bake and slice more uniformly. I do the same in my Rhubarb Custard Bars and Lemon Pistachio Bars.
- Look for bubbling fruit, not just a brown topping. The cornstarch needs sufficient heat to thicken the berry juices properly. You want to see the filling bubbling before removing the pan from the oven for that jammy consistency.
- Give the bars time to cool. The filling continues to set as it cools. Cutting too early can leave you with delicious but messy squares. Use a large, sharp knife and wipe the blade between cuts if you want especially tidy bars.
- Use parchment with an overhang. This makes it much easier to lift the entire slab from the pan before slicing. Also avoids having to use non-stick spray.
- Other Additions: You could add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and/or a teaspoon of lemon juice to the berries if you want to, but I don’t think it’s necessary. But feel free to experiment.
Triple Berry Bars Recipe FAQs
Yes. These bars are actually a great make-ahead dessert because the berry filling needs time to cool and set before slicing. You can bake them earlier in the day or the day before you plan to serve them.
Yes. You can make these triple berry bars with frozen fruit when fresh berries aren’t available. Thaw the berries first and drain them thoroughly to remove excess liquid before mixing them with the sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch. This helps prevent the filling from becoming overly wet and keeps the oatmeal shortcrust from getting soggy.
Once completely cooled, store the bars in an airtight container. They can be kept at room temperature for a day, but for longer storage I recommend refrigerating them. Refrigerated bars will keep well for 4 days.
Yes. Let the bars cool completely and slice them before freezing. Arrange the pieces in a freezer-safe container, separating layers with parchment paper so they don’t stick together. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw the bars overnight in the refrigerator or for a few hours at room temperature before serving.
Other Dessert Recipes
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Triple Berry Bars with Oatmeal Shortcrust
Equipment
- 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan
- Food Processor
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1¾ cup All-purpose flour – 218 grams
- ½ cup Sugar – 100 grams
- ¼ cup Oats – 23 grams
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 10 tablespoon Butter (cold and cubed) – 141 grams
For the Berry Mixture
- 1 cup Blueberries – 150 grams
- 1 cup Raspberries – 125 grams
- 1 cup Strawberries (roughly chopped) – 150 grams
- ¼ cup Sugar – 50 grams
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon Corn starch – 16 grams
For the Topping
- ¼ cup All-purpose flour – 30 grams
- ¼ cup Oats – 23 grams
- 2 tablespoon Sugar – 25 grams
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoon Butter – 56 grams
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prep Baking Pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Assemble Shortcrust. To a food processor, add the all-purpose flour, sugar, oats, lemon zest, salt, baking soda and cubed butter.
- Process. Pulse the mixture until crumbs form. The mixture shouldn’t be too dry, and should come together when pressed with your fingers. If the mix is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse again. Note: You could make the crust in a large mixing bowl and use a pastry cutter.
- Transfer, Press and Par-Bake. Transfer the short crust dough to the prepared pan. Using your fingertips, a spatula or the bottom of a measuring cup, press down evenly, making sure the mixture goes all the way to the edges and is as even as possible. Bake the crust for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Make Berry Mixture. While the crust par-bakes, combine the berries, sugar, lemon zest and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
- Make Topping. In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, salt and butter. Using your fingers, press and squeeze the butter with the other ingredients to create marble-sized crumbs. There shouldn’t be any loose pockets of flour remaining.
- Add Fruit and Topping. Remove the crust from the oven. Scatter the triple berry filling mixture and then the topping. Try to be as even as possible, but don’t worry about getting perfect coverage with the topping.
- Bake Until Bubbling. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit bubbles. That bubbling is important because the filling needs to get hot enough for the cornstarch to properly thicken the fruit juices.
- Rest and Slice. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 45-60 minutes. Then carefully remove the slab and cut into squares on a cutting board. You can sprinkle powdered sugar before serving if you wish.
Notes
- Oats: Used in the crust and topping. They give the shortcrust and topping a hearty texture and subtle nutty flavor. Rolled or quick oats will work, but I prefer rolled oats myself.
- Sugar: So I totally think white sugar works best here. The white sugar won’t overpower the fruit like brown sugar would. But if you really want to use brown sugar, you can.
- Butter: Keep the butter cold and cut it into cubes before using in both the base and the topping. Cold butter helps create a tender shortcrust and those delicious crumbly clusters on top. I recommend using unsalted here, since there is salt added to the recipe, but if you only have salted butter, go ahead and use it; just omit the salt from the rest of the recipe.
- Berries: I am using a combination of fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries and fresh strawberries here. But you can mix it up, use another berry like blackberries, or just keep the recipe simple with one single berry. I recommend cutting your strawberries up so they are a similar size to the rest of the smaller berries.
- Cornstarch: This is what thickens all those delicious berry juices into a jammy filling as the bars bake. Don’t omit!
- Use a metal baking dish. For best results, I highly recommend using a square metal pan here, with straight edges to give you the best-looking finished bars.
- Keep the butter cold. Cold butter is important for both the shortcrust and topping. It helps give the base its short, crumbly texture and creates distinct buttery clusters in the topping rather than one solid layer.
- Don’t overprocess the crust. Pulse just until you have moist crumbs that hold together when pressed. You aren’t trying to create a smooth ball of dough.
- Look for bubbling fruit, not just a brown topping. The cornstarch needs sufficient heat to thicken the berry juices properly. You want to see the filling bubbling before removing the pan from the oven for that jammy consistency.
- Give the bars time to cool. The filling continues to set as it cools. Cutting too early can leave you with delicious but messy squares. Use a large, sharp knife and wipe the blade between cuts if you want especially tidy bars.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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