Monday, March 7, 2011

Blueberry Crumb Bars

So in the last post, when we had Turkey Stuffed Peppers, I also made Blueberry Crumb Bars for dessert. Even though these were made in the oven and not in the Crock Pot (gasp!), they were so good I had to share :)

I'm partial to desserts that are 150% chocolate (and then some), and J is too..but I get the feeling he likes fruity desserts over chocolate ones sometimes. And I know he loves blueberries so when I found this recipe online I knew I had to try it out! My recipe was adapted from Cookin Canuck - great food blog! Although I didn't spike the blueberries with Rum like suggested, they were still great!

Last night, in Northern Vermont, we got hit with one of the biggest storms in history. It been snowing for over 24 hours (and still coming)! We got about 16-20" last night, and they are predicting another 8" or so today... and you know the weather is rough out there because it takes extremely severe weather for J to say it's probably too risky to drive to the mountain to go snowboarding! So it looks like we're snowed in... good thing we have our Blueberry Crumb Bars :)



BLUEBERRY CRUMB BARS

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh blueberries (I used frozen blueberries but defrosted them and it came out fine)
3 tbsp dark rum or lemon juice (I used lemon juice)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup (8 oz) cold butter
1 egg





















Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine blueberries and lemon juice (or rum). Stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 4 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.
























3. In a separate medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg.























4. Cut in chunks of the 1 cup of cold butter using a pastry cutter or a fork and mix well until the consistency is crumbly. Whisk one egg in a small bowl and stir into this mixture.




5. Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the greased pan.
















6. Spread the blueberry mixture over the crust.

















7. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the blueberries.
















8. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Let the bars cool and then place in a fridge to chill (this makes it easier to cut).



















And here are the directions without pictures, to make it easier to follow:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine blueberries and lemon juice (or rum). Stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 4 tsp cornstarch. Set aside.
3. In a separate medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg.
4. Cut in chunks of the 1 cup of cold butter using a pastry cutter or a fork and mix well until the consistency is crumbly. Whisk one egg in a small bowl and stir into this mixture.
5. Press half of the flour mixture into the bottom of the greased pan.
6. Spread the blueberry mixture over the crust.
7. Sprinkle the rest of the flour mixture over the blueberries.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top is light brown. Let the bars cool and then place in a fridge to chill (this makes it easier to cut).



And as a side note... are you having trouble picturing what a real Vermont winter storm looks like?

the snow piled up on the porch, against the glass door that can't be opened...and the view into the neighborhood from the living room.



And then the "parking lots"...


Yes, I will be spending the next several winters living here...and I can't wait :)

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