It’s local berry season and Julia Deane from Culinary Works shares these crumb bars that are sure to please. There are a lot of blueberries in this recipes so every bite is full of berries. These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies! Cut these into 36 smallish rectangles for a great grab and go treat.
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. 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. This could take an extra 10 to 15 minutes depending on your oven. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Great served with vanilla ice cream!