I started my staycation with a night out at the Hollywood Bowl. We saw the Grease singalong and it was so much fun! I used to watch Grease often when I was in high school, but it's been a few years since I've seen it. Turns out watching that movie again is like riding a bicycle. All the familiar words came right back to me. Of course when you go to the Hollywood Bowl, part of the whole experience is picnicking beforehand. The group I went with was serious about their picnic. They even had a whole spreadsheet devoted to who was bringing what. I knew I couldn't let the group down, but I didn't have much time to spend on a great treat for the group since part of the evening prior was spent baking brownies. Luckily these bars are easy, but so good. I am really loving blueberries this season. The crumb with the slightly lemony crust accentuates the blueberries and provides a great base for their juicy goodness. I've been seeing these crumb bars a lot around the blogosphere lately and it's not hard to tell why. They are well worth the slight effort!
Blueberry Crumb Bars
(Adapted from AllRecipes via Jessica's Dinner Party and Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 9+ bars (depending on how you cut them)
For the crust and crumb topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
Pinch of salt
Zest of 1/2 of a lemon
1/2 of a lightly beaten egg
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
For the blueberry filing
2 cups fresh blueberries
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8 or 9 inch baking dish and set aside.
To make the crust:
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, baking powder, flour, salt, and lemon zest. Add the egg and then the butter pieces and use a dough blender or knives to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Press half of the dough into the greased pan.
In a large bowl, mix the blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the blueberries.
Bake for 45 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.
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