Buttery crumb bars filled with mixed berries and a touch of lemon. This simple recipe uses the same mixture for the the crust and topping.
Hello, friends! I hope you are enjoying a beautiful summer weekend. I am stopping in to make a few suggestions for your 4th of July menu. Up first: Berry Crumble Bars!
I first made these Berry Crumble Bars several years ago. To be honest, they fell off my radar until I made them again recently for my daughter’s birthday. I was immediately reminded how great they are, and I knew I needed to bring them to your attention right away.
Bonus: They are the perfect dessert for your 4th of July festivities. The colors are patriotic, every bite is bursting with summer flavors, and you can pack them up and take them wherever you are headed (pool, beach, lake, BBQ, etc).
Berry Crumble Bars
- Crust and topping: A buttery, lemon scented dough is used as both the crust and topping. Press half of it into the bottom of a pan, and reserve the rest for crumbling over the fruit.
- Berries! Here’s where you can adapt this recipe to suit your taste (or whichever berries you have on hand). I like a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries (as pictured). You can absolutely use all of one berry or a mix of 2 or 3. Cornstarch thickens the berry mixture and a touch of lemon compliments the fresh flavors.
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Tips for Berry Crumble Bars
- Line your pan with parchment paper or foil for easy removal.
- When grating lemon zest, only use the yellow part of the skin, not the white pith.
- Mix up the berries to suit your tastes.
- Chill these completely in the fridge before cutting, as this makes for cleaner slices.
- Leftovers? Highly unlikely, but if you do have a few bars leftover, put them in the freezer and enjoy them another time.
These bars really are the perfect summer dessert. We like them straight from the fridge or at room temperature. And maybe, just maybe, you could justify eating one for breakfast. Fruit = breakfast food, right?
If you really want to take these over the top, you can serve them with ice cream or whipped cream. I happened to have vanilla blackberry swirl ice cream in my freezer, and it was the amazing on these bars. Vanilla ice cream or strawberry ice cream would also be great.
Have a safe and happy 4th of July! Check out the list below for more summer recipe inspiration.
- 4TH OF JULY RECIPES
- Berry Crisp – A simple dessert made with fresh or frozen berries.
- Berry Trifle – Easy and elegant!
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie – You can add blueberries, too
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp – Enjoy it warm, cold or room temp.
- Blueberry Pie with Whipped Cream and Fresh Berries – RED, WHITE AND BLUE!
- Sugar Cookie Fruit Tarts – Cutest dessert ever.
- S’mores Dip – Indoor s’mores ready in 10 minutes.
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake – Top it with sparklers!
- Strawberry Sangria – Dangerously delicious.
- Tortellini Pasta Salad – Fresh, colorful and loaded with flavor.
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Note July 2018: I changed this recipe just slightly. After a few comments requesting a larger quantity, I increased the recipe to make a 9×13 pan. I also added a bit of lemon to brighten the berry flavors.
Mixed Berry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Topping:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, optional, but so good!
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Berry Filling:
- 4 1/2 cups chopped fresh berries, see note
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- juice of 1 small lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 9x13 pan with foil or parchment, and butter or spray with non-stick spray.
For the crust and topping:
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine granulated sugar, baking powder, flour, and salt. Add lemon zest, butter, egg, and vanilla. Beat on low speed until the butter is evenly distributed in small pieces and the mixture is crumbly.
- Dump a little more than half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your hand or the bottom of a measuring cup to evenly press the dough into the pan.
Filling:
- Gently stir together all ingredients until well incorporated.
- Spread the filling over the crust, then crumble the remaining dough over the top of the berries.
- Bake for approximately 40 minutes, until the top is light golden brown. Transfer pan to rack to cool, before cutting into squares. I have also refrigerated these, after cooling to room temp.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Sharon says
I made the recipe as written, and it turned out lovely.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Mia Annesen-Wood says
Do you think these bars would work with frozen berries? looking for a recipe to use them up.
Celebrating Sweets says
That should work. I would recommend keeping them frozen and adding a little more cornstarch (maybe an extra teaspoon or so)? Enjoy!
Kitty says
I made it with frozen berries and doubled the corn starch. They were a hit! Cant even tell it was made with frozen berries
Elizabeth says
Does this need to be refrigerated after?
Celebrating Sweets says
It will keep for a couple days longer if you store it in the fridge. Enjoy!
Danielle Dionne says
I made these as per the directions, except I only had frozen berries and, I forgot to add the 1/2 cup of sugar to the berries, which I’m glad happened. They we’re delicious and still sweet enough for me.
Could you please tell me how long I can freeze the leftovers for?
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! They should freeze well for up to 3 months. Thanks for stopping by! -Allison
Amanda says
Made these today and added a handful of oats to the topping. Delicious.
Celebrating Sweets says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Tanja says
Can I use light brown sugar instead of white?
Allison says
That should be fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Carol Croucher says
I don’t have lemon. Will that be okay?
Allison says
That will be fine. Enjoy!
emma says
it’s always a bit confusing living in australia and wondering if cornstarch is equivalent to our cornflower… is the cornstarch you’re talking about in this recipe yellow or white? thanks in advance!
Allison says
It is white. For this specific recipe you can use all purpose flour instead of cornstarch. I would recommend about 2-3 tablespoons of flour in place of the cornstarch. Enjoy!
Jenna says
Is there a video?
Allison says
Hi, Jenna. Unfortunately I don’t have a video for this recipe yet. Thanks for stopping by!
Kylie says
Hi! I want to make these but I only have margarine 🙁 would it work to measure, cut and freeze it till solid? Or will using cold margarine work
Allison says
I’ve only made the recipe with butter so I can’t say for sure. If you try it I would recommend using chilled butter from the fridge. Enjoy!
Margi says
Thanks Miss Allison,
Reminds me of my Grandmas cooking in all the right ways. Thanks for posting it and I too would recommend the lemon zest when you get a bit it’s like a flavor magnifyer so for me the more the better 😋 but then that’s just a weird lemon bar so, yeah zest is good 😏
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂