When fresh blueberries first began arriving at our market this summer, I already knew where my first batch would go. :)
These blueberry crumb bars are an absolute favorite of mine. (I can’t believe it has taken me this long to post on them!) I actually made them for the first time last summer to take along on a camping trip with some friends. And I must admit – I was so proud of myself. :) They looked great, were amazingly delicious (upon sampling – shhh – before leaving), and even survived the trip just fine in the cooler without getting smooshed. But little did I know that the biggest fans of these yummy bars would be…
…the raccoons!!!
Argh! Yes, unfortunately some raccoons from the forest raided our stash in the night and licked up every last crumb of the blueberry deliciousness. I was NOT a happy camper. But alas, it ended up being an excuse to make some more. And some more. And (even after blueberry season ended and I needed to raid the freezer)….some more. :)
Definitely a dessert recipe you’ll keep on hand for years to come. So grab some fresh or frozen blueberries, keep far away from raccoons, and give these a try! I guarantee they won’t last long…
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar (plus extra 1/3 cup for blueberries)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- zest of one lemon
- 4 cups fresh blueberries
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, salt, lemon zest, and baking powder. Use a food processor or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, egg and vanilla. (Or if you don’t have these appliances, you can use an old fashioned fork!) Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
- In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Ali’s Tip:
This also works with frozen blueberries (that you have thawed). Or I’m sure it would be delicious with other berries, peaches, plums, etc…or even with a few slivered almonds thrown in!
These are delicious! I changed it up just a smidge by adding fresh lemon juice to the blueberry mixture. And I’ve only used frozen blueberries when making this. I get rave reviews whenever I make them! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I just tried these bars this week. They were fantastic in every way! I loved them warm fresh outta the oven and at room temp. I had them at room temp with some cool whip on them too and they were delightful. My fiance liked to have them for breakfast with some fresh fruit. They were tasty without being too sweet. Thanks for a great recipe. I found you through Tastespotting and have since bookmarked your website! :)
Just made these tonight for my friends while we watched the bachelor. EVERYBODY LOVED THEM. sooo delicious!
When I came across this recipe on Taste Spotting I bookmarked it right away! It came in handy yesterday when I was planning to make dessert for a dinner with my family and blueberries just happened to be on sale at the supermarket! Everyone loved it. I looks good, smells great, and tastes awesome. I love that it tastes like pie but can be cut into bars. Ours was still warm so we just sort of scooped it into bowls with some vanilla frozen yogurt and it was fantastic. I accidentally added a full cup of sugar to the cornstarch so mine was a little sweet, but my father and boyfriend who don’t care for tart were certainly pleased. The fresh lemon zest gave it a great punch and everyone commented on how fresh the ingredients tasted.
Thank you! I will be pulling this recipe out again soon, I’m sure. :)
I <3 your site :)
Oh yum! We have about 6 pounds of blueberries and are struggling to quickly think of things we can make with them. This is totally in.
These were a hit at our young professional’s game night last night! Delicious and super easy to make! Thanks for sharing!
I just made these. I just can’t leave anything alone so I substituted whole oat flour for half of the flour and used half blueberries, half lingon berries (doubled the sugar on the berries – lingon berries are really tart like cranberries). Anyway, they turned out super yummy – great recipe!
These are great. I made them the other day for my stitch group that meets on Tuesday nights. They were a big hit. I think I will try with peaches next time.
Hi Ali,
You don’t include instructions for the vanilla? Does it go in with egg and butter? I’ve already put half in the pan, I guess I’ll put 1/2 teaspoon in for the topping and give it a try! They sure look good in the picutres!