I love baking these simple Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars recipe to help kick off the warmer season.
These Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars are a tasty bite-sized dessert made with fresh blueberries. They have a delicious crust. And they’re easy to cut into neat pieces! Try this delicious dessert for all of your summer barbecues!
How to make Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars:
These bars have three layers. The first layer is a buttery shortbread crust flavored with lemon zest. Next comes a blueberry filling made with fresh blueberries, sugar and a little bit of nutmeg. Finally, a topping is sprinkled on top. The topping is a combination of flour, brown sugar and butter. The bars are then baked for about 25 minutes. When they come out the oven, they are dusted with powdered sugar.
Lemon zesting and juicing:
The best lemons are lemons that feel a bit heavy in your hand and that have a little give to them when you squeeze them slightly. Those will be the lemons that have a thinner skin and more juice. In this recipe, you’ll use a lemon zester to zest two teaspoons of zest, but you won’t use any lemon juice in this recipe. Be sure to squeeze the lemon juice out of the lemon and save it for another use. You can keep freshly squeezed lemon juice in the refrigerator for a few days. Or put the juice in a zip baggie or small plastic container and freeze it for much longer. Don’t let that juice go to waste!
How to store these bars:
Keep cut bars stored in a covered container at room temperature. If you need to stack them, use parchment or wax paper between layers. Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars may also be stored in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
Here are a few more recipes using blueberries that you might like to try:
- Blueberry Gooey Butter Cake
- Raspberry Blueberry Pie
- Blueberry Refrigerator Jam
- Best Blueberry Dump Cake
- Blueberry Cornbread
- Glazed Blueberry Lime Pound Cake
- Lemon and Blueberry Upside Down Cake
- Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls
- Peach and Blueberry Coffee Cake
Blueberry Lemon Crumb Bars
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING:
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
TOPPING:
- 5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
DUSTING:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9x13-inch pyrex pan with nonstick spray.
PREPARE THE CRUST:
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, zest and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the egg and vanilla together; stir into the crumb mixture until a dough forms. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly. (Keep the oven on)
ADD THE FILLING:
- Sprinkle the blueberries over the crust. In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and nutmeg; sprinkle over the blueberries.
PREPARE THE TOPPING:
- In a medium bowl, use a rubber spatula to cream together the 5 tablespoons butter and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour, so that the mixture is crumbly like streusel. Sprinkle over the blueberry layer.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned. Cool and then dust with powdered sugar before cutting into bars.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these tonight and love them. Could the butter be substituted? Asking for my sister in law who can’t have dairy. Thanks!
I’m not sure about that!
hm I must be doing something wrong. I made this for Easter and it was like eating pure flour, no moisture at all….Was I supposed to add juice somewhere?
No juice– but the berries should have created a juicy filling!
Are you able to substitute different types of flour? Coconut or almond? Thanks!
I haven’t experimented with different kinds of flour.
OOOPs, I forgot the lemon!!!! But still so yummy, thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks! I made this about 6 hours ahead of serving, and covered it loosely after it cooled, and it was still nice and crispy. This is a great recipe. Everyone loved it!
Hi Lori,
These look delicious! I’m making these today but am going to two events, so I have to make them ahead of time. Should I leave out on the counter and should I cover them at all to preserve the crispy, crumbly texture?
Thanks
yes, I think covering them is a good idea… and room temp is fine!
These look so perfect for summer! Love blueberries and lemon together. And I’m intrigued by the nutmeg in the filling!
These are divine, Lori! I adore Blueberry and lemon anything during this time of year. These bars look simply delish for spring and summer!
Next time I have extra blueberries, I’m making these. A perfect flavor combination!
These bars look delish, Lori! Blueberries and lemon are one of my favorite summer combinations 🙂