Blueberry Chocolate Chip Crumb Bars

For a recent lunch we hosted, which was meant to be a picnic, but ended up being an outdoor lunch under our pergola, I decided to bake a batch of blueberry crumb bars. I had found this recipe, several months ago, on smitten kitchen and had made them for a party. I fell in love with them immediately, and couldn’t wait to make them again. The buttery crust, fruity berry filling, and delightful crumb topping of these bars makes them totally irresistible. This batch turned out to be unexpectedly wonderful, with the addition of chocolate chips and cinnamon.

Much like the unexpectedly rainy weather the morning of our planned picnic, my baking plans were slightly altered. I found that I didn’t have quite enough blueberries for the filling, so I improvised and threw in a few handfuls of mini dark chocolate chips, to make up for it. I also had decided not to use the lemon called for in the recipe, as I had found them to be a bit too tart for my liking. Instead, I added a couple dashes of cinnamon to the dough. Well, this batch of blueberry crumb bars turned into something special. They were delicious! Everyone at lunch had at least two. They were a big hit. I just had to share the recipe with you.

Feel free to try a different berry, if you like, such as raspberries or strawberries, in place of the blueberries–or in addition to them. I used dark chocolate chips, because that is what I happened to have on hand, but milk chocolate chips would be fine, too. Cinnamon was wonderful in this batch, but if that’s not your thing, just leave it out. These bars hold up beautifully for picnics and such, because the crust is very sturdy, yet buttery and delicious.

They are quite easy to make. The only thing which is a little time-consuming is making the dough come together. I used a fork, because a pastry cutter is still on my kitchen wish list. You just have to keep working it until the butter and flour mixture have a consistent texture. The dough can have a few bigger bits of butter and turn out well, so don’t worry too much about it. Be gentle with the blueberries, stirring them very lightly and sprinkling them by hand onto the crust.

I hope you will like these crumb bars as much as we did. Enjoy!

• Servings: 36 small or 20 larger rectangles
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These delicious bars are perfect for having with coffee, at picnics, parties, or any occasion at all. They are completely irresistible. Feel free to try another berry, like raspberries or strawberries for these bars. Store them in the refrigerator, once cooled. Chilling the bars helps to keep them moist and makes them easier to cut. Recipe adapted from smitten kitchen.

Ingredients

Dough:

1 cup white sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks/ 8 oz./ 225 g)

1 large egg

1/ 4 tsp. salt

1-2 dashes of cinnamon

Filling:

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1/ 2 cup white sugar

4 tsp. cornstarch/ cornflour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Grease a 9×13 inch Pyrex pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and cinnamon. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend in the butter and egg, until texture is fairly consistent. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the 1/ 2 cup sugar and cornstarch/ cornflour. Gently stir in the blueberries.
4. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the chocolate chips. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until topping is lightly golden brown. (This took an extra 15 minutes in my gas oven.)
6. Cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in the refrigerator. Consume within 5 days.

All written content and photos are Copyright Kimberly Sequoia 2017 for a delicious moment.

If you would like to use this recipe on your own website, please re-word it in your own words or link back to my original post.

My 2017 Easter Menu

One week to go until Easter Sunday! Have you got your menu planned? If you’re still searching for ideas or recipes, I hope you’ll find some inspiration from my Easter menu for this 2017.

We will be having Glen’s family over to our house for Easter lunch, again this year. I’m making most of the food. I think our guests will be bringing a couple of salad/ veg dishes, and appetizers, as well.

Here is what I will be making…

Roasted Cinnamon Maple Pear Chips, served with cheeses

Spinach and Artichoke Mini Quiches in Crispy Wonton Cups

Plum, Grape, and Goat Cheese Salad

Boneless Lamb Roast with Rosemary, Garlic, and Onion

I’m using the slow cooker, not using the recipe in the link. I layer thick slices of brown onion on the bottom and add beef stock/ broth, to add flavour and moisture.

Scalloped Potatoes

Maple Dijon Roasted Carrots

Vanilla Bean Bundt Cake with Vanilla Bean Glaze

I’ll be adding pink flowers and sprigs of lavender from my garden, as well as little candy-coated chocolate eggs on top of the cake. Image of cake above via Peony Lim.

Happy Easter to all celebrating! Wishing you and yours a lovely holiday.

Plum, Grape, and Goat Cheese Salad

Are you looking for a gorgeous salad that can be ready in just ten minutes? Of course you are. That’s a dinner dream come true! Not to mention, it’s a perfect holiday side dish. With Easter coming up next week, I thought I’d give you a really quick, easy, and absolutely delicious salad recipe. You are going to love it!

My favourite salad recipes are ones that are easily adaptable, so I can customize them to work with what I’ve got on hand and what’s in season. This is one of my go-to salad recipes, because it can be changed in little ways to create almost endless variations and still taste amazing. I made this salad, today, with plums, green grapes, goat cheese, and some cashews for added saltiness and crunch. I’ve made it before with blueberries, green grapes, Danish feta, and leftover roast shredded chicken, and it was so lovely. Also, even though I totally love the vinaigrette recipe, this salad is just as good with a very simple balsamic vinaigrette. Feel free to customize this salad recipe to your heart’s content.

You can make this salad about an hour ahead of time and keep it cold in the refrigerator. It will be fine. Any longer than that, and the lettuce will get a little soft at the edges. This salad is so quick and easy to make, you really can just throw it together right before dinner. The only prep is cutting the plums and making the vinaigrette. If you use blueberries instead and buy a dressing (or omit it entirely), then you have no prep at all. So easy!

Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
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A quick, easy, and completely delicious salad recipe, which can easily be customized to suit what's in season.

Ingredients

Salad:

Cos lettuce (or other mildly-flavoured lettuce)

Baby spinach

Green grapes, a generous handful

2-4 ripe plums, cut into bite-sized pieces

Goat cheese, to taste

A couple handfuls of salted cashews

Vinaigrette:

1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. honey

1/2 Tbsp. cold water

 

Directions

Salad:

Arrange whole lettuce leaves on platter or large plate. Scatter a handful of baby spinach on lettuce. Arrange plum pieces and grapes among the leaves. Crumble and toss the goat cheese on salad. Toss cashews on top.

Vinaigrette:

Put all ingredients in a small lidded jar and close tightly (I use an old jam jar). Shake vigorously until blended.

Devour salad immediately. (Really, you can make this salad about an hour ahead of time, and put it in the refrigerator. It will be fine. Any longer than that, and the lettuce will begin to soften too much.)

Notes: This salad can become a wonderful meal simply by adding chicken on top. I like to serve it with cold leftover shredded roast chicken (I’ll admit, I buy it at the shops) or strips of baked breaded/ crumbed chicken.

This is my own original recipe. All written content and photos are Copyright Kimberly Sequoia 2017 for a delicious moment.