Blueberry Crumb Bars
These blueberry crumb bars are crazy easy to make and could, dare I say, rival your favorite blueberry pie recipe. You can pick them up and eat them on the go, which makes them a perfect dessert for picnics and summer parties!
Ahh, sweet blueberries. I am positively obsessed with them right now. I’ve been eating them by the handful… and with cottage cheese… and in a bowl of cinnamon shredded wheat… and in every baked good I can possibly imagine (hello, lemon blueberry bundt cake!). I can’t imagine a day when I’ll ever tire of baking with blueberries.
This past weekend, I decided to combine blueberries with one of my favorite desserts – crumb bars! Give me anything with a crumb topping and I’ll devour it faster than you can say “butter”. Quite a few years ago, I made peach crumb bars, which I successfully turned into blueberry crumb bars. If you can go wrong with fresh fruit and a buttery crumb crust and topping, I haven’t found a way.
I’m sure you could easily adapt these bars to use up whatever type of berry you have in your fridge, but I am definitely partial to the blueberry. It’s my favorite of the berry family, plus I just love that beautiful purple color that baked blueberries exude.
These bars are exceptionally easy (and quick!) to make, so no excuses… grab a big container of plump, juicy blueberries and hop into the kitchen!
Prepare yourself for the fact that you will continue to cut “just a little piece” until half of the pan is gone. It’s unavoidable; just don’t say I didn’t warn you!
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Blueberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the Crumb
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 1 cup (227 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 egg
For the Blueberry Filling
- 4 cups (592 g) fresh blueberries, (20 ounces)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- Juice of one lemon, about 3 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Make the Crumb: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter, and then the egg (the dough will be crumbly). Press half of dough into the prepared pan.
- Make the Filling: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently fold in the blueberries to coat evenly with the sugar mixture. Spread the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust, drizzling any excess juice in the bowl over the filling. Crumble the remaining dough evenly over the blueberry layer.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on July 23, 2013.
These look absolutely gorgeous!!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
These bars are so delicious. I couldn’t stop eating! and they are so easy to make!
Hi! We dont have blueberries where i come from. Can i substitute the fresh blueberries with canned blueberries? How will that affect the recipe? Should i still combine the canned blueberries with sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice? Thank you.
Annie
Hi Annie, Are you referring to blueberry pie filling, or just plain canned blueberries without any other additions? I think frozen blueberries would work as well.
Hi! Thank you for your reply. I was referring to canned blueberry pie filling. If I use that, should I still add sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice?
Hi Annie, If it’s blueberry pie filling, then no, do not add the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Enjoy!
Thank you for the tip Michelle! And thank you for all that you share in your blog!
What amount of lemon juice equals the “juice of 1 lemon”?
Hi Rich, About 3 tablespoons.
Can u freeze the blueberry crumb bars? I want to make them tomorrow and serve the 8 days from now.I will probably use frozen thawed and pat dry.?
Hi Debbi, I think they would freeze well. Enjoy!
Hi Michelle! If I needed to make this eggless, do you have any substitution suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Devyn, I’ve never substituted out eggs, so unfortunately I can’t give a solid recommendation.
Did you make the eggless version? If so could you please post the recipe. My son has egg allergies so I want to make an eggless version. Thank you.
I whipped this up last night to have tonight for dessert at our FIFA party. Bluberries are in season in Ontario now. Turned out exactly like the picture!! And sooo easy to put together!!
Mu daughter stole a large piece of it for breakfast this morning and gave her approval even without the icecream on top!! LOL!!
Thank you Michelle.
On some of your brownie recipes, you say to line the pan with aluminum foil to easily remove the brownies. Can you do that with this recipe?
Hi Lisa, Absolutely!
Made these today with frozen blueberries. They were awesome!!!! My crumb looked a little more “sandy” than yours, but the flavor was great. Thank you for sharing!!!
Made these and really liked them! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I am wondering about making them with frozen alaskan blueberries, they are so tart and sweet, but don’t want to waste the berries if recipe doesn’t turn out right, a lot of hard labor went into picking them.
Hi Viv, I’m not sure how frozen blueberries would do, but if they something you covet, I probably would not experiment, just in case.
I just made these and the hubby and I LOOOVE them! I’m wondering if I can freeze half of them to save our waistlines a bit. I’ve already baked them–what do you think?
Hi Libby, So happy to hear that you enjoyed these! Yes, I think you could certainly freeze these.
I have these in the oven right now! Easy Peasy recipe! Thank you!
Made these and they were so awesome! I couldn’t get enough :)
Wow, this looks fantastic! Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and we’re in blueberry heaven! Can’t wait to make this soon. xo
Great recipe! I made these bars yesterday, and they are delicious! So yummy, in fact, that I held off on bringing them to work to share. Oops! I substituted maple syrup for half of the sugar and will probably go with all syrup next time because I love that flavour combo so much. High five for super treat!
Aren’t blueberries the BEST? Especially in baked goods! I found this blueberry lemon zest bread over the summer and it’s one of my new favorites: http://curiouser-and-curiouser.com/2013/05/29/beach-trip-prep-blueberry-bread/
I love your peach crumb bars so much, so I know these must be awesome too!
Just made these so quick and easy I added the lemon zest also.
made these yesterday — everyone loved them! topped with ice cream, it was like pie … but faster and easier … :)
Very easy very delicious….will try it soon
Yeah, you can’t go wrong with crumb topping! It’s the best part! These look divine!
Oh this looks fabulous! I can’t get enough blueberries either but I haven’t done any baking with them yet. This looks like a great place to start!
I eat blueberries every day – in smoothies, on yogurt, with other fruit – so baking with blueberries is a no-brainer for me. Of course, I had to make this last night and brought half into my office for my co-workers. It’s only 9:20 and the plate is almost empty. They are delicious!
LOVE fruit crumb bars! Thanks for sharing!
I was looking for a blueberry recipe and came across this one. So glad I did! I made this tonight, unfortunately I did not have enough blueberries but I made it anyway! It came out so good!!! I will make this again but with triple the blueberries! Thank you for posting, and I am in love with your blog!!!
Blueberries are my all time favorite. Growing up as a kid in Maine we used to rake wild blueberries so we could freeze and eat them all year round. I don’t think my mother ever made these bars but this recipe speaks to me. :)
I ran out to Sam’s, bought the berries. Found out I had used my last lemon, ran to the store again! So glad I persevered. These blueberry bars made me weak! So good! (And I didn’t run-run, I drove. Lol.)
I need to go blueberry picking now! These bars look amazing.
I love blueberries and crumb bars, these look fab!