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    You are here: Home / Desserts / Bars & Brownies / Blueberry Crumb Bars

    Blueberry Crumb Bars

    May 15, 2018 By Sam 58 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Blueberry crumb bars

    These Blueberry Crumb Bars are made with a real blueberry filling (no canned pie filling here!) and a buttery crust and crumbly topping! 

    Blueberry Crumb Bars

    I’m finally back home after a long weekend at a conference in Salt Lake City spent surrounded by other incredible bloggers and plenty of incredible food.

    The trip was amazing, minus the TSA pat down just before the flight home because a bag of chili that I tried to bring home from the conference alerted as “explosive” during a TSA check.

    That was… awkward. 😳

    Needless to say the chili was in fact not explosive, but I am a little concerned about eating it now. This is why I’m a desserts person. A from-scratch baker, that way I don’t have to worry about my food alerting as explosive.

    These blueberry crumb bars are 100% from-scratch and 100% non-explosive. 

    From-scratch blueberry filling for blueberry pie bars

    We start with a homemade blueberry pie filling for the juicy center layer of these blueberry crumb bars. You can use fresh or frozen berries, you’ll cook them in a saucepan with some sugar and corn starch until the filling is thick and then add more fresh berries, a pat of butter, and some vanilla extract for flavor.

    Both the crust and the buttery, cobbled topping are made from the same shortbread-esque cookie mixture to keep things simple (and delicious).

    We’ll make this crumbly cookie base and topping in our food processor, you can use a pastry cutter instead, but the food processor is going to be the quickest and easiest way to do this.  The mixture should be very crumbly, and you’ll use your hands to pat half of it evenly into the bottom of a baking dish, then layer your filling, then top everything off with the remaining crumbly cookie mixture.

    Pressing shortbread crumble into the bottom of a pan for blueberry crumb bars

    Once these blueberry crumb bars have finished baking and are still hot, they will be hard to cut. The filling won’t be very solid and the crumble will actually crumble apart if it’s still warm. In order for these bars to be sliceable, you will need to let them cool for about 2-3 hours.

    …That being said, I am 100% for scooping them out of the pan with the spoon and enjoying them warm (or even topped with ice cream!). Yes, they will totally fall apart if you do that, but they are so good warm it’s worth it.

    Blueberry crumb bars in a glass pan

    Enjoy!

    How to Make Blueberry Crumb Bars

    Blueberry Crumb bar

    Blueberry Crumb Bars

    Buttery Blueberry Crumble Bars
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Cooling Time: 2 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
    Servings: 24 squares
    Calories: 138kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    Blueberry Filling

    • 5 cups blueberries divided (840g)
    • ½ cup sugar (100g)
    • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt
    • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 Tablespoon butter

    Crumb Base/Topping

    • 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (405g)
    • ¾ cup sugar (150g)
    • ¼ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed (50g)
    • ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (227g)
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Set aside.
    • In small saucepan, combine 3 cups blueberries (505g), sugar, cornstarch, salt, and lemon juice over medium-low heat.
    • Stir frequently until the blueberries release their juices, and the mixture is very liquidy (about 5-8 mins).
    • Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
    • Boil (still stirring constantly) for 1 minutes and remove from heat. 
      Add remaining 2 cups of blueberries, butter, and vanilla extract and stir until butter is melted.  Allow to cool while you prepare your crust.
    • To prepare your cookie crust, combine flour, sugars, baking powder, cornstarch, and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly until combined.
    • Sprinkle your butter pieces evenly over the dry ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    • Add egg and vanilla extract and pulse again until mixture just begins to cling together.
    • Pour ½ of your cookie batter into the bottom of your prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a spoon to press evenly into the bottom of the pan to form a crust.
    • Pour your cooled blueberry filling evenly over the crust.
    • Use your hands to sprinkle the remaining crust mixture evenly over the top of the filling.
    • Transfer to the oven and bake on 350F (175C) for 55-60 minutes or until the top of the blueberry crumb bars is golden brown.
    • Allow to cool completely (2-3 hours) before slicing and serving. If you prefer to enjoy these warm the crumb bars WILL fall apart if sliced before they have cooled and set, so plan to use a spoon!

    Notes

    Storing

    Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for up to five days. 

    Gluten Free

    This recipe has been successfully made using Cup4Cup gluten free flour. It was noted that the crust needed to bake longer than indicated in the recipe to become crisp.
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1square | Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 67mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Manda Beaulieu

      June 17, 2021 at 1:58 pm

      Hi! Can you make the filling ahead of time (night before) and spoon it on the crust out the fridge when ready to bake?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 18, 2021 at 9:12 am

        Hi Manda! I’m not sure. You can certainly try it. You may want to place a piece of plastic wrap against the surface so it doesn’t crust over. It may need to be stirred briefly before adding to the top of the crust. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Cheryl

      April 29, 2021 at 10:04 am

      This looks delicious. Can you do a video of this recipe? Your videos are always very helpful. Can’t wait to try this one.

      Thanks.

      Reply
      • Sam

        April 29, 2021 at 1:45 pm

        Hi Cheryl! I’m glad you’ve been enjoying the videos! While I will add a video to this recipe eventually, I don’t have one just yet. However I do have a video for my strawberry crumb bars, which are very similar, just in case that might be helpful in the meantime!

        Reply
    3. Bruce

      March 10, 2021 at 12:23 pm

      5 stars
      OK. My measuring cups are now retired! I had the same trouble with the base again, so I measured 3 1/4 cups of flour using my best spoon and level technique, and I was using 437 grams instead of 405.

      I’ve also learned that this recipe can’t be improved on. I had about two cups of cheese filling, made with locally-produced quark, so I spread it over the base, under the berries. The result was very good, but not as good as the original recipe. I also learned that the small blueberries, which is what I was able to find this week, don’t cook down much at all like the fat ones do, so the filling isn’t as tasty.

      I’ve learned a lot this week, and have some excellent blueberry-cheese crumb bars to eat and share.

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 10, 2021 at 12:56 pm

        The scale is so much easier, faster, and more accurate. I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂

        Reply
    4. ronnie

      February 19, 2021 at 9:39 am

      5 stars
      this is awsome

      Reply
    5. Jess

      January 30, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      Hi, can this filling be used for a cake?

      Reply
      • Sam

        February 01, 2021 at 9:40 pm

        Hi Jess! That should work. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Bruce

      November 25, 2020 at 11:28 pm

      5 stars
      OK. I found the video for the Strawberry Crumb Bars on your YouTube channel, so I’ve seen how your dough looks. I could tell that mine would never get to that point. Maybe my Challenge brand butter has less water in it than the brand you used, or maybe my egg yolk was smaller. Anyway, I’m still sure there will be no disappointment when we eat them!

      Reply
      • Sam

        November 26, 2020 at 11:37 am

        Hi Bruce! Hmm, I often use Challenge butter and have with this recipe, so that shouldn’t be it. Usually with a food processor if you just keep pulsing it will get to that point (unless the flour was accidentally over-measured, probably not but it’s something to consider). Regardless I hope you still LOVE these! 🙂

        Reply
        • Bruce

          November 27, 2020 at 9:04 pm

          Yes, too much flour is possible, since I didn’t weigh it. They are delicious, of course. After being refrigerated overnight, the are holding together much better ( but I’m still eating them over a plate).

    7. Bruce

      November 25, 2020 at 11:11 pm

      5 stars
      They haven’t cooled yet, so I haven’t tasted my raspberry crumb bars. The filling tastes amazing, and I got some great raspberries at my local produce market. I wish you had a video for these bars, though, because my dough mixture never did “begin to cling together”. It pressed into the pan very well, but the topping is more like coarse sand than your little clumpettes. Mine might have to be eaten with a fork, but I’ll bet they’re fantastic! I’ll let you know after their Thanksgiving debut tomorrow. I now have a batch of your Best Blueberry Muffins (which definitely are) in the oven for breakfasts tomorrow and Friday (if they last that long).

      Reply
      • Bruce

        January 14, 2021 at 5:10 pm

        5 stars
        My blueberry bars are in the oven now, and the dough was much more cooperative this time, in spite of my new food processor, which is horrible. This one has a big space (over 1 inch) between the upper and lower blades, and that makes it incapable of doing a good job of cutting in butter. With lots of coaxing, I got the job done. Fortunately, I can still use the old food processor for jobs like this. The bowl is cracked, but still in one piece. We’ll just go with the guess that the last time I got too much flour into the dough. As I said before, the raspberry bars were delicious. Since raspberries have so much more flavor than blueberries, I think the raspberry version will be my favorite.

        Reply
        • Sam

          January 14, 2021 at 9:48 pm

          I’m glad these turned out better for you. It’s frustrating when your equipment doesn’t work properly.

    8. Jackie

      August 06, 2020 at 11:50 am

      Can these be frozen?

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        August 06, 2020 at 8:51 pm

        Hi, Jackie! I personally have never frozen them, however, someone recently tried this and reported success. I hope that you enjoy them. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Jamie

      July 17, 2020 at 6:12 pm

      5 stars
      Best blueberry dessert my family and I have ever had! It’s so worth the effort to make, but be warned—these bars are addictive!

      Reply
      • Sam

        July 19, 2020 at 10:05 pm

        I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Jamie! 🙂

        Reply
    10. B

      June 26, 2020 at 7:35 pm

      5 stars
      I bought 10 lbs of fresh blueberries yesterday and stumbled upon this recipe. Twenty four hours later it’s all gone! Even my picky eater loved it. I’m making it again tomorrow for my in-laws! This recipe is a keeper!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        June 28, 2020 at 9:31 pm

        I am so glad that this recipe was a hit and a perfect use for all your fresh blueberries. Thanks for commenting, Brynn! 🙂

        Reply
        • Lisa

          May 20, 2022 at 8:48 pm

          Could I half the recipe and put in a 8×8 dish?

        • Sam

          May 24, 2022 at 9:38 am

          Hi Lisa! The bars may be just a little thinner, but that should work just fine. Your bake time will be different. 🙂

    11. Tracey daisy

      June 18, 2020 at 11:19 am

      Can I use the stand mixer to mix the prepare the cookie crust? Cause I don’t have a food processor

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 18, 2020 at 12:29 pm

        Hi Tracey! I would recommend a pastry cutter to work everything together over a stand mixer. It will be a good bit of an arm workout though. 🙂

        Reply
      • Laurie

        August 13, 2020 at 11:44 am

        I used my stand mixer. It worked just fine and tasted so good.

        Reply
    12. Joanna

      June 15, 2020 at 4:35 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam! Just wanted to let you know that I made these for my mom and she adored them. She loves blueberries and said that it is the best blueberry filling she has ever had. They absolutely loved the bars. Thanks for a great recipe!

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 16, 2020 at 12:52 pm

        I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Joanna! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Brianna

      June 03, 2020 at 10:05 am

      5 stars
      Do you store this in the fridge or at room temp?

      Reply
      • Sam

        June 03, 2020 at 10:12 am

        Hi Brianna! You can store these at room temperature. 🙂

        Reply
    14. Ellen

      May 04, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      5 stars
      I made the blueberry crumble bars on Saturday. They turned out amazing. Your recipes and videos are so easy to follow. On May 20, 2020 we will be married for 47 years. My husband said these bars were the best thing I ever made. He asked if raspberry bars can be made the same way

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 04, 2020 at 3:51 pm

        I am glad that you find my recipes easy to follow and the videos helpful, Ellen. I am happy that you both enjoyed the bars as well. I have a Strawberry Crumb Bar recipe that is similar to this one. Substituting raspberries should work just as well. Happy (early) Anniversary to you both and congratulations on 47 years of marriage. 🙂

        Reply
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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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