Don’t feel like messing with cake but still want a blueberry treat? These crumb bars with their jammy-sweet berry filling should do the job just fine!
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Blueberries are such a favorite snack at our house – my 3 year old son eats handfuls of them. But they also flow into many of my baking and cooking activities.
Video: How to make blueberry crumb bars
1:37
Blueberry Crumb Bars
These bars are filled with a generous layer of fresh blueberries sandwiched between a shortbread base and a crumb topping. The blueberry layer will get jammy as it bakes!
Both the base and topping are made from the same mixture: two-thirds are pressed into the pan to form the crust, and the remaining third is crumbled over it. This makes them an easy treat to put together with minimal effort.
Use fresh or frozen blueberries
If you want, you can swap fresh berries for frozen ones here. The berries do not need to be thawed; Just make sure to bake the bars for an additional 10 minutes or until the filling bubbles and sets.
More Summer Bar Cookies!
- Strawberry rhubarb crumble bars
- 7-layer wands
- Lemon bars with ginger
- caramelita
Blueberry Crumb Bars
ingredients
- For the crust:
-
2 1/2 cups (312 grams) all-purpose flour
-
1 cup (198 grams) sugar
-
2 teaspoons lemon zest
-
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
-
1 cup (227 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced
-
1 large egg yolk
- For the blueberry filling
-
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
-
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
-
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
-
1 tablespoon lemon juice
-
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
method
-
Preheat oven and prepare pan:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×9 inch pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
-
make dough:
In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until you get a fine, gritty texture – all of the butter should be incorporated.
Add the egg yolk and pulse 10 to 15 times until combined. The crumbs should hold together when squeezed in the palm of your hand. If not, sprinkle a tablespoon of water on top and pulse a few more times.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry blender or fork to cut the butter into the flour. It will take longer but works well.
-
Chill the crumb topping:
Scoop out about 1/3 of the crumb mixture and push into a bowl, which will help make larger clumps of crumbs for the topping. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or until topping is added.
-
Press the soil base into the pan:
Press the remaining 2/3 of the crumbs firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create the base for the bars. I like to use a measuring cup to press the crumbs into the pan and really thicken the crust.
-
Prepare the blueberry filling and sprinkle with breadcrumbs:
In a mixing bowl, combine the blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and zest to coat. Scatter the berries over the crust.
Take the remaining crumb mixture out of the fridge and crumble. Crumble with your fingers and sprinkle over the blueberry filling.
-
Bake crumb bars:
Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until blueberries are bubbly and crumb is golden. Remove the bars from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely in the pan, at least 2 hours, before lifting them out of the pan with the parchment and cutting into squares.
After cooling and slicing, the bars can be transferred to an airtight container and kept at room temperature for about a week.
