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Berry Crumb Bars

Berry Crumb Bars combine fresh berries with a soft crust and a nutty crumb topping.

At least once a year, I end up with a handful of recipes that are born from cleaning out kitchen cabinets and finding bits of this and that. (Hello, blondies! Hi there, cookies!) A similar thing happens in the summer when I end up with a refrigerator full of varying amounts of different berries that I don’t want to see go to waste.

Luckily, berries tend to play nice with each other in things like cobblers and cakes. And now, I add these bars to the list.

Use your favorite berries to make these simple Berry Crumb Bars. A perfectly lovely summer dessert!

I used a combination of blueberries and raspberries for the filling portion of the bars. It was probably a 4:1 ratio of blueberries to raspberries, but any combination will work. This recipe is great in that you can use whatever berry or berries you prefer or just what you happen to have.

The end result is a soft and lightly sweet bar that’s just full of summer flavor. Serve these just as they are in all their berry glory, or top them off with ice cream for a special treat.

Berry Crumb Bars

Yield 24 2-inch bars
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Berry Crumb Bars combine fresh berries with a soft crust and a nutty crumb topping.

Ingredients

For the crust and crumb:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the filling:

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 & 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 3 & 1/2 cups berries*
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
  •  

Instructions

To make the crust and crumb:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 9"x 13" baking pan.
  2. Whisk together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add butter and egg, and mix with a pastry blender or fork until dough is combined and crumbly.
  3. Transfer half of the dough to prepared pan. Press evenly into bottom of pan.

To make the filling:

  1. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add berries and stir gently to combine.
  2. Spread berry mixture evenly over crust in pan.
  3. Sprinkle remaining crust mixture over the berries. Sprinkle pecans over the top.
  4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
  5. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Notes

*Use your favorite berry or a combination. If using a larger berry like strawberries, I suggest chopping them into blueberry-sized pieces.

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    8 Comments on “Berry Crumb Bars”

  1. These look really good. I have blueberries in the refrigerator and I think I might have to make these bars. Thanks for another good recipe.

  2. Wow! Those look soooooo good! I’ll be making some whole wheat blueberry muffins today, but these bars of yours are next. Might even add some homemade blueberry liqueur…Have to balance my sweets, right? 🙂 Happy Monday, Jennifer!

  3. I am always impressed with the things I am able to come up with by just using the ingredients I have on hand. Granted I tend to have a freezer loaded with stuff but still. Great looking bars!

  4. Jennifer, you think rhubarb could be one of the “berries” in this bar? I have some to use and thought it might be a “different” flavor but wasn’t sure if it would be too tart for it. Thanks!!

    • Hi, Linda. I don’t have a lot of experience baking with rhubarb, as it’s not one of my favorites. It should work, though. You could offset some of the tartness with a bit more sugar in the crust or filling. Or, use a combination of rhubarb and a berry, like strawberries.

  5. You can’t have too many berry recipes in my book!

  6. I love how thick that berry filling layer is! so much fruitiness in every bite.

  7. These crumb bars are seriously magical! In love!

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