Blueberry Crumb Bars

Mr. Foodie and I just got back from an "end of the summer" vacation. We traveled to Paris and Amsterdam and had an amazing time. From the sightseeing and the great weather to just the sheer beauty of both cities, it was a great way to say goodbye to the summer and welcome in the fall. And I'd be remiss if I did not mention that the food in both cities was absolutely delectable. I will definitely share my European food experiences with you next week as I settle back into my daily routine (i.e work) and finish uploading our 1000+ photos.

In the meantime, I want to share with you this yummy dessert I made before we left. I love blueberries and buy them all the time. Yet often times, they sit in the refrigerator for days before I even touch them. Such a pity, I know. But these last bunch of blueberries were so big and plump, I couldn't let them wilt on me before I included them in a great dessert.

Enter Blueberry Crumb Bars. I revisited a dessert I first made last summer after spying it on Deb's blog. These crumb bars are perfect for a morning snack with a cup of coffee or tea or even an after dinner dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hey, they are also tasty all by themselves. They are slightly tart, extremely buttery and very crumbly, just like a good crumb bar should be. Trust me, these suckers don't last long in our refrigerator.

So if you enjoy blueberries, even half as much as I do, I say go ahead and give these a try. A simple and easy dessert, you won't be sorry you made them.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups flour
2 sticks butter, cold
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, zest and juice
4 cups fresh blueberries
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour and baking powder. Stir in the salt and lemon zest. Add the butter and egg to the bowl. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend the butter and egg into the flour mixture. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the greased pan.

In a separate bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently fold in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture over the crust, evenly. Using your fingers, crumble the remaining dough on top, over the berry layer.

Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

*You should get about 16 medium sized squares out of your 9x13 baking pan
*These bars keep best if stored in the refrigerator

adapted from smittenkitchen.com originally from allrecipes.com