Blueberry Crumb Bar
I needed a break from chocolate. Yes, I just said that. I have been baking pretty consistently lately, and many of my baked goods have featured this delicious ingredient (see here, here, and here). Even as a lover of chocolate, it was time to take step in another direction, and let some other ingredients shine.
I have never been a big fan of fruit. Especially, in baked goods. However, last summer I discovered how much I absolutely love blueberries. I ate them everyday with breakfast. My blueberry addiction lead me to exploring the internet for some possible recipes. Lo' and behold, my favorite food blogger Smitten Kitchen came through, yet again, this time in the form of these blueberry crumb bars.
The first time I made these, I was with my best friend from home. She, being a big foodie herself, was more than willing to help me satisfy my curiosity in baking these bars. We immediately went to the store to purchase more blueberries. We decided to buy a bag of frozen ones. Why? Even though blueberries were in season, frozen ones are a lot cheeper. Sticking with 'tradition,' I bought a bag of frozen blueberries to make these bars in college as well. Not only is it cheeper, but blueberries aren't in season quite yet, and frankly I struggle buying ingredients that aren't fresh.
These bars are absolutely delicious. Lemon is the secret to making the blueberry flavor pop. If you like fruit tarts, bars, buttery pastries with berry jam, or just want a break from chocolate yourself, then you will absolutely love these bars. Enjoy!
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yields: 30-35 smallish rectangles
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flower
2 sticks cold unsalted butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Grease a 9x13 inch pan
3. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flower and baking soda.
4. Mix in salt and lemon zest
5. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly.
6. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
7. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
8. Gently mix in the blueberries.
9. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust.
10. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.
12. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
*These are easiest to cut once chilled, and they store better in the fridge than at room-temperature (taste better too!).
What I Did Differently:
1. I used 1 stick of unsalted butter and 1 stick of regular butter.
2. I used frozen blueberries. I recommend if you do this to take the bag out of the freezer once you start assembling the ingredients. This will allow them to defrost enough for baking. Also...I only used 3 cups of blueberries (I bought the smallest bag, oops), but I think I prefer this amount.
3. I melted the butter. It is probably better to "cut the butter into the dough," since this is technically a pastry. However, I lack patience, and my butter was rock hard. My bars turned out just as tasty!
4. I definitely store mine in the fridge. If you enjoy the taste of warm fruit-filled pie, then maybe you might want try zapping one of these bars in the microwave, because it will give you that affect. However, I prefer these nice and cold!
