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.
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 Trifle – Easy and elegant!
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie – You can add blueberries, too
- 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.
- Sausage and Veggie Skewers – With the best BBQ sauce EVER.
NEVER MISS A RECIPE!
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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.
Recipe Notes
I used a combination of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I chopped the strawberries, halved the large blackberries, and left the raspberries and blueberries whole.
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
This is a yummy berry recipe for summer gatherings!
i love berry crumb bars! these are perfect for summer. and they look so so delicious!
Thank you, Thalia! I love them too.
Is it 1 1/2 tablespoons butter or 1 1/2 sticks of butter ?
HI, Kristina. My apologies. I switched my recipe format and a couple of things didn’t transfer over properly. It should be 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons of butter). I’ve made the correction in the recipe. Sorry about that!
Can you use frozen berries?
Hi, Denise. I wouldn’t recommend it, their extra moisture might make the crust and topping soggy.
It might have been good to say something about using frozen berries, 30 no used in the oven and it is red goop.😊
Bummer! So sorry to hear that, it is frustrating when you take the time to make something and it doesn’t come out right. I was sure to specify fresh berries in my recipe because I assumed frozen berries would have way to much moisture. Sorry it didn’t work for you.
These look beyond delicious and I’ll definitely be trying! I’m going to try and use my homemade Mixed berry jam on top of them instead. Oh yum!
These look soo delicious, great for breakfast or dessert!
What delicious little bars these are. I love how you have managed to pack so much fruit in to them.
These will definitely satisfy a sweet tooth! And I could totally justify eating them for breakfast because berries are good for you, right? 😉
Love these little bars! But I usually just use jam for the filling. Beautiful pictures too!
I love that you don’t need to make a separate topping mix for these and I can’t get enough summer berries just now either. Look tasty!
now these are truly mouth watering ! I want to get in the kitchen and make these right now!
When I was little, my Mum used to make very similar crumble bars but filled them with jam instead. These look sooo good!
These mixed berry crumble bars look amazing… I can’t wait to try them! Do you think frozen berries would also work well in the recipe? Thank you!!
Yes, that should work. I would suggest reducing the berries by 1/2 cup and increasing the cornstarch 1 teaspoon. Enjoy!
These are so perfect for summer, filled with glorious summer berries. And you are right, also perfect for the 4th of July.
These look so tasty!
These crumble bars look amazing! My kids will be all about these!
Looks delicious! . Can’t wait to try these!
Cool Kitchen Utensil
Your comment says 1 1/2 sticks of butter which is 3/4 of a cup but the recipe says 1 cup which is 2 sticks. Just trying to clarify which is correct.
Hi, Julie. Sorry for any confusion. The recipe is correct (1 cup/ 2 sticks of butter). A few months ago I changed the recipe to make a larger quantity (see note below), so the old comment that you read was back when the recipe only made a 9×9 pan of bars. After several requests for a larger recipe I increased it to make a 9×13 pan. Sorry for any confusion. Enjoy!
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.