If you happen to find some good blueberries but don’t feel like making a blueberry pie, try these Blueberry Crumb Bars. They’re outstanding! My version is designed for an 8-inch square pan, but if you’d like a larger batch you can double it. Also, these are egg-free and easy to veganize if you don’t want to use dairy.
Egg-Free or Vegan Blueberry Crumb Bars
This recipe is adapted from an old one that appeared in Bon Appetit. The filling is held together by the preserves and is egg-free. The crust is not vegan since it calls for butter, but you can easily adapt it by using a vegan margarine such as Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. For my last batch I used Soy Free Earth Balance straight out of the tub and just mixed it by hand. It worked perfectly and tasted great.
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries and Preserves
If it’s blueberry season you can use fresh, but frozen blueberries are fine here. No need to thaw. And while blueberry preserves fit the theme, using apricot or even strawberry preserves mixes the flavors a little bit and makes the bars even more interesting. The lemon zest is key to bringing out all the flavor, so please don’t leave out the zest.
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Recipe
Blueberry Crumb Bars
Anna
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour (135 grams)
- ½ cup old-fashioned oats (40 grams)
- ½ cup packed golden brown sugar (110 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter or margarine
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes (114 grams)
- ⅓ cup chopped roasted almonds or pecans
Filling
- 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ½ cup preserves, blueberry, apricot or strawberry (130 grams)
- ½ tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1-2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375°F. Line an 8-inch metal pan with foil or parchment. If using parchment paper, grease pan, line with parchment and grease again. The preserves are sticky!
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Mix the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and cinnamon together in food processor or mixing bowl. Add butter and pulse (or cut with a pastry cutter) until you get a coarse meal. Transfer 1 cup to a medium bowl and mix in the almonds. This will be the topping. Keep it chilled while you make the crust.
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Press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden and just firm to touch, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
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Mix all filling ingredients in medium bowl. Spread evenly over crust in pan, then crumble the reserved topping over. Bake bars until filling bubbles thickly at edges and topping is golden brown, about 28 minutes; cool in pan on rack. Cut lengthwise into 3 strips, then cut each strip into 4 pieces, forming 12 bars.