Blueberry Crumb Bars

Everybody's mad for blueberries these days! 

These little numbers showed up over on Smitten Kitchen, and -- like most things Deb makes -- the pictures were so crisp and clear, you could almost TASTE them through the computer screen.

I had to have them. 

They really are delicious. My blueberries were just a weee bit tart, and I probably should've added a bit more sugar, but I pretty much followed the recipe exactly.

I also love that they're EASY. So many crumb bar recipes are too many ingredients and too much time!

Mm, mm, mm!!

Blueberry Crumb Bars

(Smitten Kitchen)

(Deb says she got 36 bars. Apparently I cut bigger than her - I got 24)

Crumb

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of 1 lemon

Blueberries

4 cups fresh blueberries (Deb does say you can use frozen!)

1/2 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

juice of 1 lemon

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a 9x13 pan

- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in the salt and lemon zest

- Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend the butter and egg into the flour mixture. Dough will be crumbly

- Pat half the dough into the prepared pan

- In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries

- Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the prepared crust

- Crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer

- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown (Deb said, and I agree, that this took an additional 12 minutes for me in my oven!)

- Cool completely before cutting into squares