So, a few weeks ago my friend Laura from Tide & Thyme posted these blueberry crumb bars. They looked so crazy good I wanted to make them immediately! I picked up some blueberries when I was grocery shopping the next day and set out to make it happen.
As I read the recipe more carefully though, I started to get the nagging feeling that I’d already made the blueberry crumb bars. And sure enough, I went and dug through my archives only to discover that I had not only made the recipe, but blogged it way back in 2009. This happens more frequently than I’d care to admit; I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve pinned only to subsequently figure out they weren’t actually new-to-me. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve been blogging for nearly six(!!) years and have the worst memory ever…
I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to update that old post, this time with photos that didn’t totally make me cringe and also with updated directions that were more clear. I hope to do this every now and then going forward with recipes from the archives. Some of our favorites are hiding out in the posts from the early days of this blog! There’s a very good chance most of you guys haven’t seen them since I’m pretty sure the only readers at that time were were my mom, Shane, and his parents 🙂
Blueberries are still readily available here, so hopefully you can get your hands on some too. These blueberry crumb bars are a can’t-miss summer dessert! I’ve made quite a few fruit bars like this, but this recipe is definitely among my favorites. The crust is buttery and rich, the perfect base for the thick layer of sweet blueberries sitting on top of it. The final layer is a streusel topping, and I think we can all agree a streusel topping is never a bad thing! These blueberry crumb bars can be thrown together in no time with just a few bowls and spoons, they’re so simple. And they’re good keepers too – just pop them in the fridge and they’ll be delicious all week, though I doubt they’ll last more than a day or two.
Blueberry Crumb Bars
adapted from AllRecipes via Smitten Kitchen
Crust/Topping
1 cup granulated sugar
zest of one lemon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Filling
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on opposite sides to lift the bars out after baking. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the bowl and whisk to combine. Add the butter and egg to the bowl, and use a pastry cutter to cut them in until the pieces of butter are no larger than small peas – the mixture should look like coarse meal. Transfer half of the mixture to the prepared pan and pat into an even layer to form the crust.
In a medium bowl, stir together the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Add the blueberries, and toss gently to coat them evenly. Pour the blueberry mixture over the crust and spread evenly. Crumble the remaining crust/topping mixture over the blueberries to cover.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and the filling bubbles around the edges. Remove the pan to a wire rack and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan. Once cool, use the parchment “handles” to lift the bars out and cut into squares (I actually like to refrigerate them for an hour or two before cutting – it makes for neater squares). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Oooh, they look so summery and yummy!!
Katie xox
Oooh these look sooo good!!! Yummm
Everyone? Um, not everyone celebrates the 4th of July. This holiday is primarily based on one country, not the world.
Anyway, your blueberry crumb bars look good. I have a pint of blueberries sitting in my freezer begging to be used in a dish such as this one.
These look moist and delicious! I would like one right now! Happy 4th!
I already have my dessert(s) for today, but those bars are making wish I didn’t; they look terrific!
I love that these are loaded with blueberries!!
Those look great, I will have to try them while the blueberries are in season. However, DON’T throw away any of your berries! I always buy extra when on sale and just throw them right into the freezer. They are great for baking or throwing on cereal. Can’t waste those great berries!
Mmm, these look really delish!
I have been craving blueberry bars lately. These sound fantastic!
Awesome and totally delish looking, a perfect picture to tempt anyone.
Oh, yum. I saw these on Smitten Kitchen but I don’t remember them looking this good!
MMMM – I have a ton of blueberries in my freezer right now – and was thinking about blueberry bars.
These looks great! Blueberries are my favorite fruit. They’re just starting to come into season here in Maryland. I think I may try these!
I made these yesterday too – the exact same recipe! – and they were so delicious.
These look de-lish!
Those look really really good!
Well, I bet these went over well. Don’t know how I missed these over on SK, so thanks for posting this one. They look so good.
So funny that we both posted blueberries for the 4th! I’m going to make a note of this recipe; we love all kinds of berries (blackberries are a kind of obsession with me).
Really Tracey, next year you might want to say “Happy 4th of July to Americans ONLY, NOT any non-Americans who happen to be reading this.” *Sigh.* Anyway, your bluberry crumb bars look great! I’ve been overbuying blueberries lately – they are so good and so inexpensive everywhere I go, and I can’t help to pick up a pint – so I plan to try this with some of them
Tried this today and they are awesome! The recipe halves nicely into a 8 x 8 pan. I baked it for around 25 minutes. Thank you for the recipe and mouthwatering pictures! Inspiring. 🙂
Ooh, delicious. I think I know what to do with the last of my frozen u-pick raspberries.
And I think everyone deserves a happy 4th of July, holiday or not!
Your bars look amazing!
Thanks for reposting. I have been seeing this Deb/allrecipes blueberry bar recipe in so many places – yours have just sold me.
And yes to relinking/updating the older recipes. So many gems in my archives but horrid photography ensures no one will ever make them. Lol Good for you for updating things!
I love your new photos! So pretty!
Blueberry awesomeness!! These sound incredible!
We both had blueberries on the brain today:) Love your bars!
I’m legitimately freaking out over these. They look AMAZING. I love anything with blueberries and crumble!
You seriously must’ve known I had a ton of blueberries to use!
I definitely need to get on these too! LOVE a good blueberry bar 🙂
Crumb bars are blowing up everywhere! These bars look so tasty!
I hate when this happens but it’s always fun to bring an old recipe back to the front. And this one is fabulous!
I find myself adding recipes to my list of things to make that are already on the list all the time. This is probably one of them but I’ll re-add just in case 😉
It is definitely an awesome idea to repost older recipes!! I need to get on that also because some of the old photos make me want to cry. For real. These look beautiful…and I’m pretty sure I’ve bookmarked them twenty times also!
Ahhhh, love these – they just feel like summer! I really want to make them before fall rolls in officially!
That’s so funny because my first instinct was that I’ve seen these on your blog before! 🙂 This is an excellent recipe and I am glad you revived it- sometimes the archives need a little bost!
These are summer for sure. Wish I could grab one right through the computer screen.
These look so good! Pinning and can’t wait to try them. 🙂
I love it when a blogger brings up posts from deep in the archives…gives those of us who are fairly new to the blog a chance to enjoy the “oldies but goodies” ! :o)
Ellen Renee
I made these this summer and looooooved them! I ate almost the entire pan myself!
This looks so perfect!! I love crumb bars so much, especially blueberry!