Blackberry Crumb Bars
These Blackberry Crumb Bars are similar to a summer berry crumble…just in handheld form! They’re filled with blackberry flavor, and they’re easy to make!
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Once spring arrives every year, I start keeping my eye out for thorny dense shrubs with little white flowers. Give those bushes a few months, and they’ll be loaded with wild blackberries.
To be fair, I prefer thornless blackberry bushes as compared to their thorny cousins. Thornless bushes are varieties that typically produce juicier, sweeter berries. Those thornless varieties are more often found in folks’ gardens than along the side of a back road somewhere. I’ll still keep looking though!
Blackberry Crumb Bars
Whether you’re using store-bought blackberries or berries from a top-secret wild blackberry patch, these Blackberry Crumb Bars are an easy and delicious treat! The tartness of the berries combined with the sweet, buttery crust is mouthwatering.
And while the flavor of these Blackberry Crumb Bars is top-notch, the ease of this recipe is close behind. The base of these bars is a buttery, crumbly crust. And get this – a portion of the crust dough is set aside to use as the crumble on top. How easy is that!?
These bars are great for summer picnics or bake sales. While they’re delicious by themselves, a scoop of vanilla ice cream will turn these Blackberry Crumb Bars into an amazing dessert! And chances are you have all of the ingredients in your pantry already.
Ingredients for Blackberry Crumb Bars
- Blackberries – If using wild berries, make sure to wash and dry them first. This recipe also works great with store-bought berries – fresh or frozen. (And you don’t even need to thaw the frozen berries!)
- Butter – I usually use unsalted butter when baking, but salted butter would be fine in this recipe.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is the best option for crumble toppings. Feel free to replace about ⅓ of the flour with whole wheat flour for an added nutty flavor. A bit of Baking Powder mixed with the flour adds rise to the crumble topping.
- Sugar – A combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar gives these bars an extra layer of flavor.
- Eggs – Adds richness and structure to the dough.
- Almond Extract – this is optional, but the hint of almond flavor really goes well with summer berries. Same goes for the Lemon Juice.
- Cornstarch – Tossing the berries in cornstarch helps absorb extra liquid as they bake, thus avoiding a soggy crust situation.
Recipe Notes
Can You Use Frozen Blackberries?
Absolutely! Fresh blackberries are best, but this recipe can absolutely be made with frozen berries. No need to thaw ’em either!
How Long Do These Bars Stay Fresh?
These Blackberry Crumb Bars will stay fresh for 2-3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Can You Freeze These Blackberry Crumb Bars?
Yes, these bars can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 4 months. However, the crumb topping won’t be quite as crispy as when they’re freshly baked. (This recipe is so easy that I recommend just making these bars fresh!)
Can You Use Other Types of Berries?
Absolutely! I’ve made this recipe with blueberries and raspberries. I’d love to try a strawberry (strawberry rhubarb!) version of these bars sometime soon.
If you love blackberries as much as we do around our house, then put these bars on your baking list ASAP! Happy baking!
Did you bake a batch of these Blackberry Crumble Bars at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Blackberry Crumb Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp almond extract
For the Blackberries
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 4 cups blackberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a 9”x13” baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; set pan aside.
- Using a medium bowl, add melted butter, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and brown sugar; stir until well combined.
- Add eggs and almond extract; stir until well combined.
- Remove 1½ cups of this mixture and set aside. Press remaining mixture into prepared pan.
- Using a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Add blackberries and gently stir until well combined. Spread blackberry mixture in an even layer in the baking pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture evenly on top of blackberry layer. (Tip: It’s ok to leave some of the crust in larger chunks here!)
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until crumb topping is light golden brown. Let pan cool completely before slicing into bars.
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Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had blackberry crumb bars before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
I do hope you get a chance to make these bars, Ramya! They’re delicious and super easy to make, too. 🙂
As you may remember I grew up in the country where wild blackberries grew prolifically so they are a fond childhood memory for me. Our mum used to make blackberry jam with them. Your bars look wonderful David!
Same for me, Sherry! I used to pick wild blackberries as a kid, and I still have fond memories of those days. In fact, whenever I see a wild blackberry bush, I have an urge to stop and pick some berries!
This sounds like a delicious recipe. I’ve got a couple of secret blackberry patches that I think I should visit soon!
You better hit those blackberry patches soon, Jeff! I’m guessing you’re up in Michigan right now?? I’m not sure there are many secret blackberry patches in the middle of Chi-town.
I love blackberries – I would go on epic hikes with my cousins to get blackberries which used to grow wild in the cooler parts of Sri Lanka. So, these bars are calling me. Those close up photos have me drooling! Wow what a fantastic texture on these! There wouldn’t be any leftovers if I made a batch of these. BTW – if you happen to have a stash of these bars in your freezer, am going to have to drive over and grab them! 🙂
We have a couple of “secret” spots here in the NC mountains where we can pick wild blackberries. The wild ones (at least around here) are very bitter, but they work well in desserts with sugar. Of course, store-bought berries work well, too – and they’re usually juicier than the ones you find in the wild. Either way, these bars are fantastic…and all gone. Funny how that happens, right?? 🙂
I love various crumble/crisp-like desserts, but I don’t recall trying one with blackberries. This sounds like a wonderful conversation, and I do love the hint of almonds for a more complex flavour.
I agree with you on crumbles/crisps – they’re one of my favorite summer desserts! And I definitely recommend keeping the little hint of almond extract in this one. Blackberries pair well with almonds I think!
I’m already imagining these bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Can’t wait to give them a try!
Yes! A scoop of vanilla ice cream over one of these crumb bars would be divine!