Blueberry Crumb Bars

I love blueberries. I eat them with breakfast several times a week and love making any type of desserts with them. Last summer was all about the crumbles and the crisps as easy toppings for fruit based desserts, but that was before I found this recipe which I made almost immediately and have made it several times. I love that when baked it forms the perfect base for the bars and you still get some of the crumbly texture on top.

At my weekly "cooking club" class this week we decided to make these bars, but instead of making in a pan we decided to use a Cupcake Pan for the perfect individual portion. These make great desserts and are equally as satisfying in the morning!

Ingredients:
Crumb Mixture

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blueberry Mixture

Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9×13 inch pan or cupcake pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl or food processor, stir together 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.( I prefer to use a food processor. Makes the dough in a minute!) The dough will be light and crumbly. Try to separate the dough in two equal parts.Pat half of dough somewhat tightly into the pans, as this will serve as the base of your bars.

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 over the berry layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.  Cool completely before cutting into squares or removing from individual molds.