These buttery crumb bars are filled with mixed berries and a touch of lemon. This simple recipe uses the same mixture for the the crust and topping making ait an easy dessert you can whip up all summer long.
If you love baking with berries this is the recipe for you. Every bite is bursting with summer flavors and you can pack them up and take them wherever you are headed.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Made with basic ingredients
- The crust and topping are made from the mixture
- Filled with the fresh berries of your choice
- Flavored with vanilla and a touch of lemon
- Great for feeding a crowd
- Easy to slice and serve
Recipe overview
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.
Filling: 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 mixture of berries. Cornstarch thickens the berry mixture and a touch of lemon complements the fresh flavors.
Recipe tips
- 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 types of berries to suit your tastes
- Chill in the fridge before cutting, this makes for cleaner slices
- Plan to make these the day you are serving them (ideally) or up to 24 hours in advance.
- If you love a crumb topping, you should also try our Raspberry Crumble Cookies
Serving options
These bars can be served chilled or at room temperature. Serve as-is or top with ice cream or whipped cream.
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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.
More summer desserts
Recipe
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 9×13 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 40-45 minutes, until the top is light golden brown and the fruit is bubbling. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. For the cleanest slices refrigerate before cutting.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Tom in Toronto
I chose this recipe for it’s simplicity, and used it with some helpers to convert a few frozen pounds of last summer’s harvest (I have a lot of berries) to dessert squares for an impromptu community gathering. After the first batch…which was a bit soggy-bottomed…we added the same amount of flour as cornstarch, and also tried hard to ensure the fruit mix was mostly dry-ish. Much better. If you’re using frozen fruit, we advise to err on the side of dry.
I also added oats and b. sugar to the topping, who can resist, and broiled it after baking, just a few minutes for caramelization. The recipe was great, it all got eaten!
Allison
Thanks for sharing! Glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Cheryl
I made these tonight. I used the lemon zest, yummy, I also used lakanto monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar. I used the same amount except for the berries I added 3/4 cup . Also used fresh berries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Turned out fantastic.
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Sharada
These were such a big hit with my family and friends! Planning on making them again to use up a big batch of berries and wanted to know if these can be frozen. If so for how long..TIA!
Allison
Hi! I have frozen a few leftover bars before and I find that they don’t hold up too great. Definitely still edible, but the texture is quite soft. I would make them fresh to share with family and friends.
Melissa
I’ve made this recipe the last 3 years in a row for Father’s Day and they are always a hit. Served with homemade whipped cream. 🙂 Thank you for a wonderful and simple recipe!
Allison
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Brandi
What a delicious summer treat. My husband and I loved these.
Allison
I’m so glad! 🙂
Chloe
As someone who doesn’t eat very much or very well, this recipe was amazing and I will definitely make it again in the near future
Allison
That’s great to hear. Thanks for stopping by!
Joanie
This has become a family favorite! Yummy
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Louise Cunningham
Beautiful
Noel
Can margarine be used in place of butter?
Allison
I’ve only made the recipe as written. I’m not sure about that.
Liz Bader
After purchasing a large amount of fresh mixed berries from a local farmer’s market, I was at a loss as to what to do with these wonderful berries before they went over. I found this recipe and made it today, only adding some sliced almonds on top as an extra yum on top. It is delicious, not too sweet and not too tart. A nice balance and simple to make. It’s a keeper!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Chloe
I loved this and the crust is so good I made cookies out of it.
Allison
Great idea! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Zoe
This is my go to recipe to impress everyone! The amount of people who have asked for this recipe is insane. Definitely a crowd pleaser
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂