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!
Sam
Can I use preserves in this recipe instead of fresh fruit? Thanks so much!
Allison
I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe but I have two other options for you: Raspberry Crumble Cookies, Oatmeal Jam Bars.
Maggie
Have you heard of anyone using a gluten free flour option? Wondering which substitute might work best!!?
Allison
I typically recommend a 1:1 gluten free baking blend. Although, I haven’t tried it with this specific recipe.
Eva
I made these bars last summer and they were amazing!
Any suggestions for using frozen berries instead of fresh?
(We still have some strawberries from last season that need to be used up!)
Allison
Hi! You’d just have to play around with it. You’ll need to add extra cornstarch since the berries will release juices when they thaw. The bars might be a bit more moist than when they’re made with fresh berries, but you could always eat them with a fork if that’s the case. Enjoy!
Linda
Can you freeze these? Thank you.
Allison
You’re welcome to try but I think the crust/topping will soften up quite a bit.
Liz Smith
Hi,
I made this recipe with GF flour and it was not good – very dry and sandy. The flavor was great but it felt like eating sawdust! Otherwise, great recipe – just not suitable to GF flour.
Allison
Good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Nadine Beaufort
Could frozen berries be used?
Allison
I haven’t tried it. You might be able to check the comments to see if anyone else has.
Bridget
I have these in the oven with a gf 1:1 blend right now. Hoping they turn out. Anyone ever add a light “powdered sugar frosting” drizzle to these? I think I am going to try that to see how it is.
Shirleen Napoles
This recipe is so simple and so delicious!!! I added my own personal twist by drizzling white chocolate on top of the chilled bars. I drizzled the chocolate in an opposing zig-zag pattern before cutting the bars. This gave them a streusel kinda feel and they looked great with the decorative addition!
Allison
Great idea! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Angel
Hi there, do you think this recipe can be made the exact same way except with apples? I have made these bars countless times and they always come out amazing! Everyone loves them! Just thinking of something with fall vibes and thought fresh apples instead would be yummy.
Allison
Hi! I have a similar version with apples. Find it here: Caramel Apple Crumb Bars.
Carrie
Looking forward to making and eating this recipe