Sugary blueberry filling on buttery shortbread crust with crumb topping and delicious glaze. These simple blueberry crumb bars make a great dessert or breakfast!
INGREDIENT
For the Blueberry Filling:– 4 cups 18 ounces fresh blueberrie– 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice*– 2 Tbsp granulated sugar or pure maple syrup– 2 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour– Pinch sea saltShortbread Crust and Topping:– 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour– 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats– 1/2 cup granulated sugar or pure maple syrup**– 1/2 tsp sea salt– 3/4 cup coconut oil melted***– 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract– Pinch sea saltOptional Glaze:– 1 cup powdered sugar– 2 Tbsp water or lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper. Mix topping and shortbread crust ingredients into a thick dough in a large bowl. Avoid separating wet and dry ingredients.
Step 1
If it's too dry to mix, add more melted oil or butter until it's cookie dough. A slightly crumbly mixture is fine. Process this in a food processor. Reserve ¾ cup of crumble mixture for crumb topping.
Step 2
Press remaining crust mixture evenly onto pan bottom. To ensure even baking, fork-poke the crust several times and bake for 15–18 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.
Step 3
Make the blueberry mixture while the crust bakes. In a saucepan, combine fresh blueberries, lemon juice, gluten-free all-purpose flour, sweetener, and salt for the blueberry filling.
Step 4
Mix well, cover, and heat medium-high. Some minutes later, the berries will bubble and leak. Use a fork or potato masher to extract juices from berries. Heat 3–5 minutes until berry mixture is thick but liquid.
Step 5
Evenly spread blueberry mixture on baked crust. Crumble the remaining crumble over blueberries. Put the dish back in the oven for 22–30 minutes until the blueberry filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Step 6
Cool blueberry bars for 15 minutes before refrigerating. Lift the parchment paper to transfer the bars to a large cutting board after cooling. Sharpen bar-cutting knives.
Step 7
The optional glaze is made by mixing powdered sugar and water (or lemon juice) in a small bowl until thick and runny. Serve and enjoy glaze-dipped bars! Dessert bars with vanilla ice cream are rich.