When something at the grocery store is “buy one get one free”, and that item just happens to be on your list anyway, it’s almost a crime not to take a second one. This has been my situation with blueberries the past few weeks and I couldn’t be happier. It’s wonderful to eat them by the handful without worrying about their price or severely dampening my supply. So when I was looking for something to bake for a BBQ, I knew it had to include blueberries to help take advantage of our grocer’s irresistible weekly deal. I’d be shocked if you haven’t seen a reincarnation of this recipe online before, it seems everyone has tried them, and for good reason, they’re absolutely delicious. These bars are a double whammy of streusel, squished down as a crust and sprinkled over top, with a generous layer of succulent blueberries in between — summer dessert heaven!
One of my favorite summer activities is berry picking. It combines enjoying the warm sun, doing something semi-active, supporting local produce, and of course coming home with buckets of fresh berries. Although blueberries aren’t in season here in Connecticut yet, we took our first trip of the summer to the berry farm last weekend to stock up on the last of the strawberries and the newly ripened raspberries. So even though the original recipe calls for blueberries, I did a mix of berries to use what I had acquired plus some of those irresistible blueberries from the store. Thus “berry bars” instead of just “blueberry bars” — but it’s up to you to use whatever combination you want!
It’s a surprise there aren’t more bar recipes on my site, I love how easy they are to put together and their homey and rustic nature. There’s no fussing over rolling out dough or making balls to spread out on a tray — you just throw it all in a pan and cut them up when cooled. That’s why these bars are such a great summer dessert – it seems there’s always a last-minute occasion to bake for (pool parties, BBQ’s, etc.) and they’re perfectly simple and seasonal. I highly suggest you give them a try for your next get-together and watch them quickly disappear!
Berry Crumble Bars
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
4 cups fresh berries*
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan well.
In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, and baking powder. Add salt and lemon zest. Use a pastry cutter or fork to combine the butter and egg — you want the dough to be crumbly like coarse bread crumbs
Pat half of the dough into prepared pan, set the rest aside.
In another bowl, combine lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Gently mix in the berries.
Sprinkle berry mixture over the crust and try to spread it out as evenly as possible.
Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture over the berry layer.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting squares. (Because I was serving these to a large group, I then cut each square into 2 triangles so everyone could have a try!)
*Use any combination of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries that you wish, just keep the strawberries on the minimal side because they contain a lot of water and can make the crumble soggy if you use too many.
Here’s a peek at our loot from the berry farm, happy summer everyone!
wowwww, the colour is so beautifully vibrant. I keep scrolling up to gaze (and drool) and how gorgeous they look! Can only even imagine how good they taste too :)
I was a little worried that these were made w/ blueberries because I’m the only one who will eat them. but….maybe there is another berry…OH! Squirrel! I mean Churro! I was distracted with the pictures on your side bar. sad I know, but look at all this good stuff you’ve got here. :)
I love making bars and squares! As soon as Quebec blueberries are in season, I will definitely make this one. Thanks for sharing :)
MMM…MMM…MMM!!! These look so good. They sound fairly easy to make too which is always nice. Looking forward to trying them. Thanks for sharing.
Your photos are just stunning. I felt like I could just reach into a basket and grab a raspberry. The bars look great too and love that they are a mixture of berries – the best of all worlds!
i just came home from the market with TONS of berries so i may have to give these a try! ps i love your bright purple napkins!
Made these last night, delicious is all I have to say. Really great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Now I definitely know what to do with our blueberries from our CSA! =)
Made these with mixed berries (less strawberries like you said) and they ended up soggy by the next day. BUT I made them again just with blueberries and added sugar on the top for some crunch and they were AWESOME! Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
I made these earlier this year and they turned out really good. I agree though, it seems as though they need to be eaten the same day they are made or they do get a bit soggy overnight.
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I live in Alaska- this is our first year picking wild berries and I had to search Pinterest for some ideas. I came across this bar and made them for my husbands squadron- all grown men, mostly single, hadn’t had a good homemade treat in quite some time. They loved them! My fussy 3 year old ate them, too! I did change a few things, just a sprinkle of salt, cane sugar and less of it and I added a few strawberries to the blue berries! I cook mine on the stove top first and get them all soft and gooey, take a taste and adjust accordingly. Definitely a keeper ;) however, mine only take about a half hour to bake, they didn’t get mushy and they kept very well in the fridge for about a week!
This looks amazing! Can I use frozen berries?
Thanks!
Erica — December 9th, 2014 @ 9:21 pm
Yes, frozen berries will work!