These blueberry crumb bars have a fresh blueberry layer that's surrounded by a buttery shortbread crust. Both the crust and crumb topping is the same, so these sweet treats are super easy to make!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with cooking spray.
Crust/Topping
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then mix in the beaten egg and vanilla extract.
Use half of the crumb mixture to press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to firmly press the crust into place so that it covers the entire pan. Set the other half aside.
Blueberry Filling
Combine the blueberries, sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and salt in a medium-sized bowl, mixing thoroughly. Pour over the top of the crust. Then add the rest of the crumb topping.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crumb topping begins to turn golden brown and the blueberry filling is bubbling. Completely cool before slicing into bars.
Keep any leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Notes:
Baking Pan: Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with cooking spray.Cold Butter: Make sure you use cold butter directly from your refrigerator when you add it to the crumb mixture. If you have a pastry cutter, use that to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles crumbs. You could also use a food processor.Crust: Use your fingers to firmly press the crust down into the bottom of the prepared pan. Only half of the crumb mixture is used for the crust. The other half is for the topping.Cooling Time: The bars need to completely cool at room temperature before serving. If you don't, you risk the bars falling apart. I like to serve them cold.