A fruit bar with a shortbread crust and shortbread crumbs is my kind of dessert! These blueberry crumb bars taste like eating blueberry pie or crumble, yet no fork is required – how perfect is that? Baking reduces and transforms the blueberry layer into the consistency of fresh jam. They are delicious warm, though I love to eat them chilled on a hot summer evening.
Another heavenly idea is to serve the bars topped with a small scoop of blueberry cheesecake ice cream! I like to pick enough blueberries from the local farm so that I can make the ice cream while the bars are baking.
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Crust & Crumbs
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed
1 large egg
Filling
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
4 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Whisk together sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Cut in butter and egg with a pastry cutter until dough is moist and crumbly. Press half of the dough evenly into bottom of prepared baking dish.
To prepare filling, stir together lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a medium bowl; add blueberries and toss gently to coat. Spoon blueberry mixture evenly over crust, then crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cool bars completely in pan on a wire rack, then chill dish in the freezer for 10 minutes to make cutting easier. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
Yield – 24 bars (serving size: 1 bar)
Calories – 145
Carbs – 21
