Blueberry crumble bars

A little lemon adds lots of flavor

If I had to pick a favorite fruit for desserts, I'd almost always pick lemon. Lemon bars, lemon cake, lemon cookies — get in mah belly! But blueberries run a close second. They're so sweet and beautifully rich in color, and a little lemon really brings them to life. 

Well when I was looking for a blueberry crumble recipe, I found this one from Allrecipes.com by way of Smitten Kitchen. It calls for the blueberries to mix and mingle with lemon juice and zest, so I knew it was a must try. The flavor is wonderful. The lemon peeks through subtly. The crumble is sweet & buttery. Talk about delicious!

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BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE BARS

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1 cup white sugar (or try 1/2 cup white, 1/2 cup brown)
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
cinnamon for sprinkling

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 by 13-inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork, pastry cutter, or your own two hands to blend the butter and egg into the mixture. The dough will be crumbly. Press half the dough into the prepared pan. 

3. In a separate bowl, stir together 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely, then cut into squares. 

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When I made these bars, I tried it with half white sugar, half brown sugar. The bars were perfect the first day out of the oven, but the crumble got rather soft by day two. I wonder if doing all white sugar as the original recipe suggests would make for a more crumbly crumble? I'll have to try it next time and see. Or if you're an expert on crumble toppings that stay crisp & crumbly, please comment below!

Crumbly or softened, the flavor was great with the mixed sugars, especially when sprinkled with cinnamon. If the bars do get soft on day two or three, you could always warm them in the microwave for 15 seconds and top with vanilla ice cream. Don't mind if I do!