03 March 2009

Blueberry Crumb Bars



I've been a bit of a late bloomer in life, it's true. It took me a little while to get into things, take fashion for example. But! When I did, I did so with a vengeance, I assure you. Hence the Prada and Jimmy Choo dust bags littering my closet along with about 70 back issues of Vogue and a catalog of models' stats in my noodly little brain.

Well, there is sadly still a bit of this in me today. Like, can you believe I had never really read Smitten Kitchen until just a few weeks ago? Oh, yeah. Like, for real. I mean, I had heard of the blog and a few people spoke of the gorgeous photography on the blog, but I just never made my way over there. I even made a recipe from the site once, but I must have been in a hurry and didn't look up at all.

Well, whew! That was a mistake. I was just bee-bopping around on the Internet the other day and fell into one of Jen's posts, and my goodness - sucked right in. And as per my usual personality, I gobbled up her posts with a vengeance, like sat there oogling the photos and reading posts for at least a good few hours. And I copied like a million recipes. So be forewarned, there will be lots of Smitten Kitchen goodies probably posted on here in the future. I'll try to contain myself and spread them out a bit if that helps.


And on to the first of many I'm sure :) First up: Blueberry Bars. I wanted to make a bar recipe to take to my last book club meeting, but couldn't decide what to make. I didn't want anything too chocolatey, I had had my fill of peanut butter treats for awhile... And then, these screamed up at me to make them. Perfect! Especially in the winter, when you're starting to crave some fruit again. They were tart-ish but sweet, definitely buttery, and that crumbly topping is just to die for. Great recipe!

These bars will be my go-to fruit bar recipe from here on out, as I can see them in a million different incarnations, with peaches or cherries or strawberries or cranberries...

Blueberry Crumb Bars
(from allrecipes.com, by way of Smitten Kitchen)



Ingredients:
1 c. white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. cold butter (2 sticks)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 c. fresh blueberries
1/2 c. white sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

10 comments:

Elyse said...

Man, these bars look amazing. I've been debating how to use the huge stock of blueberries that I just invested in. These bars look like a delicious way to use 'em up!! Mmm, I can't wait to make these!

Christina said...

Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite blogs, period. The recipes are so doable, and I have never yet made one that flopped on me. I very much enjoy your blog too though, so it will be fun to visit some of her recipes through you . . . perhaps some I haven't even tried yet . . . like this one :)

Snooky doodle said...

these look such a nice treat. so buttery and crumbly :) I like smitten kitchen too :)

Sarcastic Quilter said...

hmm, I love the look of these and in moderation they'd be great (but I'm trying to lose weight and moderation is difficult with these kinds of desserts for me!) Chocolate I can pass up but fruit crumbles, etc. -sigh-

Anyway, I wonder if I use Splenda, smart balance light and whole wheat flour for 1/2 the all-purpose flour whether it will be nasty. I'll let you know! I have jsut about 4 cups of blueberries to use up. ;)

Linda said...

What a nice blog you have. I was directed here from The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch and I quickly became a follower! Your photos are great!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

This is pure comfort food for me.

Anonymous said...

Smitten Kitchen was actually the first food blog I ever read, and I've definitely gotten some amazing recipes from there!

Olivia said...

I love Smitten Kitchen, but at the same time it kind of depresses me b/c I think...wow, my pictures are HORRID. But then I see something that looks really good and I get over it. These look great too; I wonder how they would taste with oats added?

zegliano said...

These look wonderful.

Allison
http://lastbite.blogspot.com

Mermaid Sews said...

I hear ya, I am new to this blogging world and keep finding new gems (like your blog) - smitten kitchen is one of my FAV's - bookmarked the hell out of that site =)