Simply The Easiest Blueberry Crumble Bars (No Mixer)

Simply the easiest blueberry crumble bars

Homemade blueberry bars are a perfect go-to summer treat, party snack, or holiday dessert.

These bars are made with old-fashioned oats (rolled oats), a buttery crust, juicy filling, a hint of lime juice, and a sandy-like crumble topping.

This dessert takes 35 minutes to bake and is undoubtedly tasty, so you can quickly rustle up a big batch for a whole family.

Are you looking for bars type of desserts? How about trying this homemade inexpensive brownie recipe and this Italian tiramisu recipe? You will love them, I promise.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Juicy filling: these bars are unbelievably delicious, with an addictive combination of sweet and sour flavors for the filling.
• Hassle-free cleaning: unlike other recipes, my recipe requires no mixer. Only a couple of mixing bowls are needed, making your cleaning routine fast and easy.
• Kids friendly: kids will love these homemade blueberry crumble bars in no time.

Fresh or frozen blueberries?

In this recipe, I use frozen blueberries. But if blueberries are in season in your area, you should go for the fresh option. It doesn't matter which type of blueberries you decide to use; remember to drain them well (frozen) or pat dry them (fresh) before making the filling.

Ingredients

Here are the essential ingredients for this blueberry crumble recipe:

For the crust, you'll need: AP flour, old-fashion rolled oat (don't use instant oat), brown sugar, Kosher salt, unsalted butter (soften at room temperature for 30 minutes), and baking soda.

For the filling: brown sugar, corn starch, cinnamon powder, frozen or fresh blueberries, and fresh squeezed lime juice.

Prepare the crust

• Mix ingredients: in a large mixing bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugars, baking soda, and salt.
• Crumble butter: then add butter (already softened at room temperature) to the mixture and use your hand to crumble them together.
• Make the crust: press half the flour mixture into the bottom of a baking pan (8x8 inches) to make a 0.5-inch crust.
• Bake the crust: pre-bake the crust at 350F for 10 minutes (this step is optional if you want a crunchier bottom crust).

Prepare the fillings

• Drain blueberries: drain frozen blueberries in a colander, then put them into a medium mixing bowl with lime juice, and stir to combine.
• Add spices: Add brown sugar, corn starch, and cinnamon powder to the blueberries mixture. Stir gently with a spatula to evenly combine.

Assemble

• Take the pan out: if you pre-bake the crust, remove the pan from the oven.
• Add filling: spread the blueberry filling over the crust and sprinkle the remaining crust mixture evenly over the top.
• Bake blueberry crumble bars: bake for 30 to 35 minutes at 350F, until the berries filling start bubbling and the crumbly top turns light golden brown.
• Chill the pan: let the pan cool down at room temperature for an hour. Slice into 9 even bars and serve.

Don't forget

1. To soften unsalted butter at room temperature. Like almost other baking recipes (see: fluffy sweetened condensed milk bread) that require butter, softened butter is easier to handle and incorporate with other ingredients.
2. To let the blueberries dry as much as possible. Pat dry (for fresh blueberries) or drain well (for frozen berries) before adding them to the filling to prevent soggy and watery texture.
3. To use freshly squeezed lime juice. Although it is a small amount, fresh lime juice is always better and doesn't have that bitterness after taste like boxed lime juice.
4. To let the whole pan cool down almost completely. Slicing warm will have a watery/soupy bars as a result. Not to mention the crumble crust will also be fallen apart easily. Cool for at least 1 hour at room temperature to let the filling set before slicing.
5. To NOT use your hands when incorporating the butter into the flour mixture. Because your hands' temperature can melt the butter, making a big mess. Use a fork instead.

Serving suggestion

These easiest blueberry crumble bars can be served cold or at room temperature. The bars can be eaten by themselves or served with a scoop of homemade ice cream or syrup (such as this fantastic coffee syrup-like). I prefer mine served when freshly baked and still warm.

Storing suggestion

These homemade blueberry bars will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Wrap the whole pan with plastic wrap tightly.

But, I don't recommend letting it sit in the refrigerator. Thus, it can get soggy if the juicy filling gets into a sandy, crumbling crust.

It is best to serve these bars right away and have no left-over.

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