Sometimes I feel like I spend way too much time sitting in front of my computer, staring at the screen for hours upon hours each day. Sure, much of it is productive and necessary – editing photos, writing blog posts, responding to emails, etc but there’s a segment (ok, a big segment) that’s mostly just for fun. Twitter falls squarely in that category. On more than one occasion I’ve thought about stepping away since it can be such a huge distraction, but I always find a reason to stick around. A big one: deals! Twitter is one of the best ways I learn about sales I probably would otherwise have missed. For example, a huge one-day sale on blueberries at Whole Foods last Friday. A sale so nice that it prompted me to email Shane and ask him to stop at the location near his office on the way home and grab a bunch for me. I’d had my eye on the recipe for these blueberry-streusel bars for a few weeks, and my new stash of blueberries afforded me an opportunity to make them just in time to share at our Father’s Day cookout this weekend.
Let me just cut to the chase – I absolutely loved everything about these bars. Their base is a chewy oat-studded crust, which is topped with fresh blueberries that soften and become incredibly juicy during the baking process. Atop the blueberries is a super simple, smooth lemon cream filling made using lemon juice, zest and condensed milk. It sets up perfectly in the oven and really adds both texture and flavor to the bars. The lemon isn’t overpowering; I think it adds just enough tartness to balance the sweetness of the other elements. The final layer is a streusel made using reserved crumbs from the crust, and like all good streusels, it’s completely irresistible.
One of my biggest problems with bars is that they’re sometimes difficult to cut neatly, but I didn’t run into that issue here. If you want to ensure a super clean cut, just refrigerate the bars briefly first. Be sure to use room temperature berries as the recipe suggests, or your result may not be as successful. I usually stick my berries in a strainer and wash them, then spread them in a single layer on a towel set in a rimmed baking sheet. Not only will they dry quickly, but it makes it easier to pick out any damaged berries or random stems. I always wash a few more than I need to allow for snacking – a full tray of berries is too hard to walk by without grabbing a handful. I can’t wait to make this recipe again after I pick my own berries later this summer 🙂
Blueberry-Streusel Bars with Lemon Cream Filling
from Fine Cooking
3 cups (13-1/2 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, separated
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 1/2 cups (about 13 oz) room-temperature blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 13×9 metal baking pan with foil, leaving a slight overhang on both sides to lift the bars out. Spray the pan/foil with cooking spray.
Whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender (or your fingers) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients completely. (In other words, until the pieces of butter aren’t visible anymore.) Set aside and reserve 2 cups of these crumbs for the topping. Beat the egg white with a fork until broken up and foamy. Add it to the crumbs and mix to incorporate. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form an even layer of crust. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the top starts to look dry.
Meanwhile, whisk the condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and egg yolk together in a medium bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes; the mixture will begin to thicken slightly.
When the crust has finished baking, transfer the pan to a wire rack and sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the hot crust. Drop spoonfuls of the lemon mixture over the blueberries then spread the lemon mixture gently to distribute it. Work carefully so you don’t crush the berries; the lemon layer doesn’t have to cover every bit of the crust. Bake until the lemon layer begins to form a shiny skin, about 7-8 minutes.
Remove the pan to a wire rack and use your fingers to press the reserved crumb mixture into small clumps and sprinkle them over the lemon layer. Use all of the crumb mixture to cover the lemon layer completely. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges and the streusel topping is golden brown.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the bars cool for about an hour, until just warm. Remove them from the pan using the foil overhang and let cool completely on the wire rack. Cut into squares before serving. The bars should be stored in the refrigerator.
Those look FANtastic.
I stocked up on blueberries yesterday, too…a questionable action, since we’re going away next week. But now I have an idea of what to do with some of them! These bars look so yummy. Berries and lemon – what could be better?
It really is amazing the way that Twitter has become so indispensable for finding out about sales and breaking news. I think that’s actually where I found out about this blueberry sale as well.
Love these, and good tips. I have never seen a tweet…so far behind!
I love twitter 🙂 The streusel bars look great! I like it when I have to decide if something is breakfast or dessert.
Oh my goodness, that’s my favorite Fine Cooking bar recipe!! I’m so glad you like it too – you’ve got good taste 🙂
How much are you loving blueberry season? I can’t get enough of them this year.
I’ve avoided Twitter just because I know I would get addicted. I never realized I was missing out on sales! Darn it! These bars look perfect. Sale or no sale, I think I will be trying them soon.
Delicious!!!
This was sooo breakfast for me this morning! Oats and blueberries.. sounds like breakfast food to me. I really liked the combination of blueberries and lemon.
Thanks for sharing!
I spend far too much time on the ‘net too! However, I didn’t know about the berry sale at WF! Wish I had! These look wonderful!
haha oh my, I totally agree! Twitter is a huge distraction, but so necessary for good deals! These bars are exactly what I need for a potluck I’m attending this week! So tasty looking.
Wow. These look absolutely divine! I think i am the only person in the worrlldd yet to bake with blueberries and i have saved so many recipes for when i first try them out but this one has just jumped straight to the top! Thank you for sharing it 🙂
Ooo if those are anything like that bars I posted recently, they have to be awesome!
Oh my gosh, this looks incredible! I have to make this!
I swear you always have the best recipes and these are no exception. I always seem to have blueberries on hand since I buy the large container from Costco. I know exactly what they are going to be used for now.
Wow, these look absolutely delicious. Such a perfect summer dessert!
just yesterday i was asking twitter for blueberry recipe ideas…i think i may have found the winner here!
Oh SUPER Yum!!!!
These were definitely a yummy treat. Quite the delicious ending to a father’s day feast. I loved the combination of blueberries, lemon and streusel! How could you go wrong! I wanted to take one of the bars you graciously parted with in for breakfast this morning but decided to save it for an afternoon treat. Again…delicious! Looking forward to the last bar tomorrow. Thanks again, Tracey!
I want these to magically be in my kitchen for breakfast tomorrow!
I had extra blueberries to use up. I was thinking blueberry and lemon muffins….until I saw the picture of the bars you made.
Num, num, num!!!
Thanks for a great recipe, truly delicious.
Tracey this looks delicious beautifully done
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This looks and sounds delicious. I can’t get enough of the lemon blueberry combo…both ingredients which I happen to have in the fridge right now. Unfortunately no condensed milk. Maybe I can get hubby to stop at the store for me. 🙂
These bars are the essence of summer….LOVE 🙂
These look delicious! I love how pretty the blueberries are once you cook them. And the lemon fillings sound perfect! Thanks for sharing!
These were fantastic! What great blueberry flavor and a great Fathers Day treat!
Thanks for sending some home with us. I had my last one this morning en route to a meeting in Danbury (4 hour trip – so the sustenance was needed). Since we already experienced the Blueberry “explosion” (flavor AND literally since they were so juicy), I was prepared and didn’t end up going to the meeting in tan and blue khakis. Thanks!
Yum! I also have a similar recipe like these, but the middle is a cream cheese mixture. LOVE!
Yum, these look fantastic! I made a blueberry crumble pie on Father’s Day after seeing it on Margaret (Tealady)’s blog last week and it was so good. I have resisted Twitter since I am worried it would suck me in and waste too much time, but it sounds like fun and useful for deals!
Looks perfectly delicious! I am really partial to blueberries!
This looks heavenly!
I’m sold. I really like blueberry and lemon together, and love anything with a crust!
I am the same way- definitely too much time in front of the computer! Glad you found out about the blueberry sale, though, these look delish!
If I use frozen blueberries brought to room temperature, would they still work? :S
@Cheryl – I can’t say for sure having never tried it. You might just have to give it a go 🙂 Let us know how it works if you do!
Hi Tracey! I have been checking out your site for about a month. I have made the Blueberry Buckle and yesterday I made the Blueberry-Streusel Bars. THEY ARE BOTH FANTASTIC.. THANKS FOR SHARING!
Perfect way to celebrate blueberries. Wish I had a couple of these squares right now to enjoy after dinner.
These look great, I am going to try this recipe!
Hello Tracey
Great blog:)
I found here a lot of recipies I definetely WANT to use.
First of all I’ve made these bars with small modifications, they were delicious!
Here are mine “Bluebery Streussels Bars”
http://ziolowyzakatek.com.pl/2011/07/ciasto-borowkowe-z-maki-orkiszowej-z-cytrynami-i-imbirem/
Thanks!
I made these Saturday for an opening game day party. The were a hit!!! My husband claims not to like the lemon blueberry combination, but he loved them! I even missed a step in the baking process, I put the topping on before baking it for a few minutes first and they still turned out thankfully, and all I had were some frozen berries we had picked at the beginning of summer, and that too worked out ok! I can’t wait to make them again!
These were beyond delicious–made them, loved them posted them! 🙂