Blueberry Crumb Bars {Guest Post by gotta get baked}
Hi all. As I continue on my good student path, my friend Nancy from gotta get baked is here with an amazing recipe for you. If you have not met Nancy, I suggest you head over to her blog as soon as you can. She has the coolest, most candid and fun blog around. I greatly admire her style of writing; it’s sincere, straight-forward and always funny. I wish I could have her skills. Above all, she is an incredible baker and her recipes are always so inviting and drool-worthy. Wait until you dig into these blueberry crumb bars. Did I mention she is a full-time criminal law attorney? Yeah, she is a lawyer by day and a baker by night. How she manages to do it all so well beats me. I’m so happy to have her here today!
Hi everyone, I’m Nancy of gotta get baked. I have the honour and pleasure today of guest posting for my friend, Zainab, who is knees deep in writing a paper for publication. Zainab is seriously awe-inspiring. The woman is a neuroscience PhD student fergoodnesssakes! AND she still manages to create insanely delicious food and blog about it on a regular basis. I have nothing but love ‘n respect for this incredible woman.
I was a terrible student when it came to math and science. I focused all my attention on creative arts (writing, English, music, drama) and it’s a miracle I made it into university. Back then the entrance standards were lower, thank gawd! I don’t know why I took math or chemistry in grades 11 and 12. What a glutton for punishment. I ended up with 40% in math and I cheated my way through chem (my fellow dumbasses and I would print out answers in the smallest font possible on the computer and tape them to anything we could – the back of a calculator, a ruler, even erasers!). Shameful, I know. Hopefully Zainab doesn’t cut me from her list of friends due to my lack of ethics and morals!
I wanted to make Zainab something cheerful but simple, something that can be whipped up and enjoyed with little time commitment. Knowing what a horrible winter Zainab suffered through, my mind went to fruit and of course, I have blueberries in my freezer all year round. I adapted a recipe from Smitten Kitchen and made blueberry crumb bars in a cheesecake pan to give it a different look from the regular rectangular bars.
These bars are seriously delicious. The shortbread base and crumble on top are buttery, sturdy enough to hold the filling but still light and crumbly when you bite into it. The filling is bursting with blueberry flavor, slightly sweet, and pairs wonderfully with the shortbread.

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
Base and Crumb Top:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but cooler than room temp
- 1 egg
- ¼ tsp salt
- zest of one lemon
Blueberry Filling:
- 4 cups frozen blueberries
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 tsp cornstarch plus ¼ cup water
- juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9 inch cheesecake pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together ¾ cup sugar, 2 ¾ cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, salt and lemon zest. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend in the butter and egg until the dough is crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the cheesecake pan.
- In a small saucepan, heat the four cups of frozen blueberries over medium high heat. When the blueberries are heated and begin releasing liquid, lower the heat to medium and add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir together the 4 teaspoons cornstarch with the ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Add it to the blueberry mixture, stir until fully incorporated and allow to come to a boil (increase the heat a bit if need be). This will thicken the blueberry mixture. Set the saucepan aside.
- Bake the base of the crumb bar for 10 minutes to firm up a bit. Pull the cheesecake pan out of the oven and pour the blueberry mixture overtop. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the blueberry mixture. If you’re worried about the liquid dripping from the cheesecake pan (as I was), place the pan on top of a baking sheet before placing back into the oven.
- Bake for another 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- Cool completely before slicing.
Zainab, I hope you’re not working TOO hard, girl! You’re going to do a fabulous job because you’re brilliant. I hope you enjoy these bars as much as I enjoyed making them for you!
Thank you very much Nancy for these incredible blueberry crumb bars. I can’t wait to try them. They will be perfect for the long nights ahead.
Didn’t I tell you guys she was awesome? Make sure you follow Nancy on her social media channels to keep in touch! You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
MAKING THIS RECIPE? Share it with us on Instagram using #aclassictwist so we can see what you are baking up in your kitchen!
These bars one of my favorite when I was a kid! They look so delicious!
Mmmmm, those look fabulous! I can’t wait until the farmer’s market around my house has blueberries so I can make baked goods like this with fresh berries 🙂
Seriously swooning over this shortbread-blueberry-sweet crumb topping situation! I cannot wait to start getting my hands on some good berries!
Swooning is the best description indeed. I can’t wait to try them soon.
These crumb bars look divine! I love the colours- so bright and beautiful! 🙂
Hi Nancy – these bars look gorgeous!! I always have these ingredients on hand! Love frozen blueberries! I also like that these bars, aren’t your typical square bars. This sounds perfect for a summer night dessert. Pinned for later, thank you 😀
Good luck with all of your work/school stuff, Zainab! Thanks so much for having Nancy share these delicious blueberry crumb bars!
Thank you Ashley! Hope things are better for you this week as well.
These crumbs! OMG the crumbs. I can’t even handle it. These look amazing!!! I love crumbs! Such a perfect recipe to make this summer when the blueberries are fresh and delicious!
I know right? Nancy is killing me with this recipe today!
Truly the most amazing crumb bars I have every seen! Love everything about this and it needs to get made here over the summer. Thanks!
Thank you Matt!
Y’all are so fabulously intelligent and talented, I love it! Very inspiring.
Zainab, I had so much fun making these bars and writing the post for you. I’m such a huge fan of yours, I’m honoured, really, to be guest posting. Thanks so much for having me! Don’t work too hard – make sure you take breaks, eat junk food and catch up on Netflix 😉 That totally got me through law school. None of that silly pulling overnighter crap 😉
Ummm two of my favorite bloggers in one post?! AND THESE BARS. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THEM PLS?! Holy berry deliciousness, Batman! These look unbelievable! Where were these when I was slogging through grad school pulling all nighters, eating nothing but chicken fingers and stilton on club crackers?! I wish I had known you ladies then–we could’ve done some serious damage. Anyway, Zainab, best of luck finishing your paper and presenting–I’m sure you’ll knock their socks off! And Nancy, brava with these bars, chica!
I love this twist on the classic bar shape! And that crumble on top looks so buttery… drooling!
Hi Zainab,
so nice to visit your delicious blog! I love Nancy and am so happy to find her gorgeous blueberry crumb bars here! Nancy, dude, I sucked at math too. And it was so sad because my friends assumed I was a rock star at math (b/c of the Asian thing) and would ask me for help or would try to cheat off my paper . . and boy were they ever wrong. 😛 LOVE these blueberry crumb bar slices! I want 3!
Hi Alice! It’s nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Blueberry + crumb topping. YESSS. Two of my favorites! These look fabulous. I have a feeling I’d start of savoring a small slice, then cutting “just one more sliver” until half the pan was missing!
You are undoubtedly one of the brightest neuroscientists in your field, Zainab. You chose Nancy to guest post for you =) This blueberry crumb bar looks and sounds divine!
Seriously, sending you best of wishes for success and the publication of your paper.
I am seriously drooling over all the crumbs on these amazing bars – thanks for having Nancy share these with us – she did a fantastic job 🙂 Wishing you loads of luck with your paper and presentation Zainab – I know you’ll do fabulous and kick some serious butt 🙂 xo
This looks yummy. I am going blueberry picking with the kids this Saturday so I think I might have to make this.
this looks so amazing!
Nancy is hilarious!!! And she’s one heck of a baker!!! These bars look terrific!!!
She is always cracking me up. Love her! Thanks Liz!
I’m so glad Nance pointed us over here–what a fabulous blog you have! That sassy decal in your logo is absolutely perfect and made me smile. Hope you’re enjoying some much better weather as we all sit here drooling over these gorgeous bars. Have a GREAT weekend, girl!
Ala it’s so nice to meet you. I am glad Nancy you pointed you here because now I don;t think I can get over your blog. Love love it! Hope you are having a great weekend 🙂
These look delicious! It’s blueberry season here in SWFL, so I’m going to try these this week.
I’m thrilled to have found your blog through the Marvelous Mondays link party. I’m a scientist too, although not nearly as impressive as you being a PhD Candidate. (I have a BS in Chemistry, worked for many years in a research lab, and am starting Physician Assistant school in two weeks.) I followed your blog on bloglovin and hope see more delicious recipes.
– Heather
I will be making this when I pick fresh blueberries this summer! Looks SO delicious! Pinned!
I’m looking forward to picking blueberries too!!