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
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- finely grated zest of 1 small lemon, optional, but so good!
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Berry Filling:
- 4 ½ cups chopped fresh berries, see note
- ½ 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.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Gretta
Followed the recipe as is. Might have done some slightly heaping spoonfuls of the cornstarch to the mixture of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Also added 1/2c. Sliced almonds to the topping. Soooo… good!
Danielle
I love this recipe, I’ve used it several times now. I usually use straight up strawberries and blueberries. I also really like to add a bit of oatmeal and brown sugar to the topping. I also use a little more lemon zest because it brightens the dish up more and tastes so good!
This is, by far, my favorite summer dessert to make!
Allison
That sounds delicious! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe.
Z
I made this for the 4th of July and the bars were a big hit!! Super easy and delicious! I used a mix of frozen and fresh berries so I doubled the corn starch. Do you think the recipe would work with fresh mango? Thanks!!
Allison
It should work! I have made a similar recipe with peaches. See here: Peach Crumb Bars.
Najifah Tasnim
LITERALLY AMAZING!!!! In the past, making crumbles were a real struggle because the proportions on those recipes I followed were not the best but this was perfect!!! Came out beautifully and was delicious! Would recommend adding flour 2 spoons and putting 2 spoons cornstarch though!
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Kelly
Could you make this recipe with frozen berries
Allison
I think some readers may have tried it (feel free to check the comments). If you try it I would recommend adding another teaspoon or two of cornstarch to the berry filling. Enjoy!
Joslyn
Hey 👋 thanks! That was a fun recipe! The lemon zest is definitely key to success here! Lovely pot luck dish.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Sandy Cottrell
Great recipe and my family loves it. I have already made it 5 times all with slight variations of fruit but the base of it is blueberries. Yesterday I cut in 2 peaches and mixed with berries. Worked out great. So thank you for this recipe. My sister-in-law has now asked for the recipe.
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Enjoy!
Michelle Casal
Can I use frozen berries?
Allison
I’ve only made this recipe with fresh berries. If you scroll through the comments I think there might be some readers who have tried using frozen berries. Enjoy!
TsFree
Excellent, they were a big hit with everyone. Recipe is easy to follow. Still yummy as leftover.
The recipe does work well with frozen fruit, just fully thawed and blotted away extra moisture first so it would not get soggy. I did not have lemons so substituted baking lemon oil instead.
Allison
Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂