So I made these gluten-free vegan raspberry almond squares for my husband since he's not a desserts fan, but does like the occasional raspberry (or apple) treat. And yet, as I was making them, I couldn't lay my hands off the batter. And as I was photographing them, I couldn't lay my hands off the squares :P . He's lucky he even got to eat any. And you're lucky they survived long enough to at least show you what they look like ;) . They're literally finger-licking good!
Note: they can be made with a store bought raspberry jam for a quick dessert, though if you can't find a vegan brand or a paleo diet approved brand (i.e. refined sugar-free), then you can use my Vegan Paleo Balsamic Raspberry Rhubarb Jam {Refined Sugar-Free} recipe or any other homemade jam you like (go for the thicker kinds though).
P.S. If you like these, you may also like these Gluten-Free Vegan Caramelized Apple Nut Squares {also Paleo}.
PrintGluten-Free Vegan Raspberry Almond Squares
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 3 tbsp very warm water
- 2 ½ cups almonds
- ⅓ cup liquid sweetener of your choice (I used maple syrup)
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted or very soft
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup raspberry jam of your choice (see notes above)
- ½ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×8 baking dish (or anything of a similar size) with some parchment paper.
- Make a flax egg by mixing the ground flax in warm water in a small cup. Stir and set aside to gel for a few minutes.
- Process almonds in a food processor until ground just slightly coarser than almond flour. Add in your sweetener, coconut oil, vanilla, salt, and flax egg, and process until everything is combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 22 minutes until the base becomes slightly golden and springs back when touched lightly.
- Remove the baking dish from the oven (keep oven running though). Spread raspberry jam evenly over the top. Sprinkle sliced almonds evenly on top of the jam. Return back to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the almonds begin to get slightly golden.
- Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Once cool, cut into squares and enjoy. I like these warm personally, but my husband likes chilled desserts better, so if you’re that kind of person then just refrigerate for an hour or two to chill.
Yvonne Mutch says
I discovered this recipe last week and followed the recipe, except for having to substitute Apricot for Raspberry Jam), It was so delicious I'm making my second batch tonight. I am using prepared almond flour however, with just a bit of brown rice flour cut into it, but yes these are delicious.
Audrey says
Hi Yvonne. I'm so happy you are enjoying these and thanks for sharing your substitutions as well. These + apricot jam (my favorite jam) sounds delicious :)
Mette says
Delicious! - I had a mix of frozen and fresh raspberries I made into a jam in 5 minutes.
Didn't have enough almonds, so I used a mixture of almonds, cashews and coconut flakes.
It turned out incredible!
Thank you for sharing you food creativity Audry!
Marta says
Hi Audrey,
Do you think almond pulp would work instead of home made almond meal?
Thanks!Your recipe looks great!
Audrey says
Hey Marta, in terms of flavor I think it will work great. In terms of consistency, the reason I used whole almonds here is because they break down into much bigger pieces than actual almond meal, which gives the base some "texture" and sturdiness. If you go with pulp, I'd recommend increasing the amount a bit and bake a bit longer. Would love to hear how you go :)
Becka says
:) I didn't have enough raspberry jam so I used up leftover cranberry sauce (added some chia seeds so it wasn't too runny). Thanks so much: you've created a great yummy recipe with so much versatility :)
Audrey says
So happy to hear you liked it, Becka :) And yes, it's a great base for improvising -- I usually also use whatever kind of jam I have on hand, though my husband is partial to raspberry so we stick with that more often than not. Cranberry sauce sounds delicious though!
Janae says
These were yummy! Will make again.
Audrey says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Janae -- happy you liked them :)
Marianne says
Things look finger looking good!!!! One question Audrey -- Which raspberry jam recipe did you use in the recipe. I have some mixed berries in the freezer and I think I might have to try it.. Like soon! Thank you for coming up with some fabulous recipes.
Audrey says
Hi Marianne,
I make this a lot and use whatever jam I have around. If I have my own homemade jams (like this one), I use those. Otherwise a store-bought fruit-sweetened jam (like St. Dalfour) works great. If you go for the homemade version for the purpose of a recipe like this, the fruit can vary based on what you have, the balsamic is optional for flavor, and you can leave the agar out. So you can essentially make a thick fruit compote type of a jam like that and it will work great. Enjoy it! :)
Pletea Ancuta says
My name is Ancuta 4th year student at the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine specialization agro food processing technology . As last year I had to choose a theme for a project , I really like sweets and one year I fell in love with the raw vegan . Well here I had the idea to do my undergraduate project . Unfortunately in many libraries do not find information about this type of sweets and at the recommendation of a friend we decided to give you a mesaj.Mă can help with some information about the importance of history and the raw materials used to produce raw vegan sweets ? I do not know some articles, books , papers or some advice I would be a great help !
Audrey says
Hey there,
I've not done a lot of study into the subject. I've read some books by Victoria Boutenko, David Wolfe, Anne Wigmore, etc.
Here are a few articles to start you off with the history research:
https://veganfusion.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/the-history-of-raw-foods/
http://www.purelyraw.com/history.htm
http://hippocratesinst.org/the-history-of-living-food
http://www.diet.com/g/raw-foods-diet
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism#History
Hope that helps!
Catherine says
HI, Would this work with chia egg instead of flax?
Audrey says
Yes, absolutely! Go for it, Catherine ♥
Catherine Libman says
Thanks! I will try!
Tori says
Would it be possible to make this with cashews, walnuts or pecans, instead of almonds? My daughter has two autoimmune diseases, and after completing three months on AIP, as she was adding foods back in, we discovered she has an issue with almonds. They are not her friend! Boo. She loves raspberries, and these look delicious; so would love to know if you've tried making them with other nuts. Thanks in advance for your reply!
Audrey says
Hi Tori,
Yes, these work beautifully with nuts like pecans or walnuts in place of the almonds. I'm sure your daughter would love them and I hope it's a treat she'll be able to enjoy :)
Anna says
Hi, Audrey!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I didn't have an 8×8 pan so I used a 10 in. Springform pan instead and it turned out looking like and delicious tart! I also made the jam with the attached recipe you gave us. Homeade = delicious! Not kidding. My mom started dancing when she tried it and my brother and nd sister loved it. The only alteration I made was butter instead of coconut oil. Thanks for sharing this truly amazing delicious recipe!!
Audrey says
Hi Anna. I'm sooo happy to hear you were able to enjoy this with your family. Seriously -- you made my day :) Thanks for sharing your modifications too. Great to know it works with butter as a coconut oil substitute. I know a lot of people are sensitive to coconut, so that's super helpful. I can't stop smiling picturing your mom dancing :)
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy says
These look delicious! Thanks so much for sharing with the Let's Get Real party.
Audrey says
Thank you! :) And thanks for hosting the link party.
Christina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life says
Hi Audrey! I'm stopping in from Let's Get Real today. I emailed the link to this to my father before I had even finished reading the whole thing. He is on a strict diet where he is trying to avoid gluten and also processed sugar. He is finding it difficult to find recipes that meet his needs and after 65 years........it's hard to change old habits. It's wonderful to find such a good treat that fits all his needs.
Audrey says
Hi Christina. Thanks SOOO much! So glad he can enjoy these :)
Heather says
These were deeeelicious!!!! Thank you!
Audrey says
Wonderful. So glad you liked them, Heather!
Katarzyna says
My family ate half of it as soon as I took it out of the oven. Great, great recipe! Thank you!
Audrey says
Great! So glad to hear you liked it :).
Vicki says
Wow! If I had some jam id make them now. Can't wait
Audrey says
I know exactly how you feel. They are delicious :). Enjoy!
Megan says
Yum, I love this. How do you get your almond to not turn into butter? I tried this and it just kept making a ball and turned rough looking...
Audrey says
Hi Megan. I'd stop grinding at the point it starts forming into a ball. It should be good by that point and it's if some parts are a bit "buttery". It's ok if there are some rough pieces in there as well though. It's a pretty easy-going recipe ;)
Edit: I just tried it again, and I stopped just as it got nice and crumbly, before it formed into a ball. It was beginning to form a slightly more "buttery" wall, but coarse and crumbly in the middle of the food processor. If yours did form into a ball, I don't think it's a problem, but in future I'd stop just a bit before that. The mixture does look "rough" and begin to form into a ball once all the ingredients are added to the almonds, so if that's what you were referring to, you're totally fine :)
Julie S says
How much almond meal does 2 1/2 cups of almonds make? And what is the egg equivalent if I use eggs? This looks SO yummy!
Audrey says
Hi Julie,
It would make about 2 to 2 1/4 cups almond meal, but I think the meal needs to be a little coarser than a fine almond flour (some brands are coarser than others) which is why I preferred to grind my own in this case. And it would be the equivalent of 1 egg.
They are very yummy, and it's a fairly forgiving recipe, so don't be afraid to alter the ingredients if you need to. Enjoy :)