Take a Megabite

Blueberry Crumb Bars

I get weird in the heat. It’s right up there with being hungry. If I get too toasty I will surely stop talking and most likely get sassy about it. If I join you for a patio lunch, just save me a spot in the shade will you?

On the other hand, this is a picnic dessert for real. It doesn’t bother getting weird in the heat. So bring it to your next bbq or take it to the park. It won’t get sassy. And check out those lemons up there. They make these bars zesty on top of being crumby (in a good way). So get these in your belly before crabbiness from hunger strikes!

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

crumby goodness -

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 t baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup ( 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 t salt
• zest of 1 lemon

berry mixture -

• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 t cornstarch

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. (I lined mine with foil and then greased that for easy removal later on.)
2. Make the crumby goodness. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Using a fork or pastry blender, cut in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. Make berry mixture. In another bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle berry mixture over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I stored mine in the fridge for awhile to hurry up the cooling process.

Doilies are the new napkins.

Lemon Remix Bars

I’m not a rule follower. Betty Crocker says to allow these to cool for a whole hour after baking. I ate one 15 minutes into that hour, and I don’t even care.

Take that, Betty.

These guys are 2/3 lemon + 1/3 orange, and rumor has it they can convert even the lemon bar haters out there.

Jacob went from a hater to a participator. Believe it.

Lemon Remix Bars
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

crust -

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter ( 1 stick), softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar + more for sprinkling

lemon -

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 t lemon zest
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 2 eggs

{remix} orange -

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 t orange zest
• 1 T orange juice
• 1/4 t baking powder
• 1/8 t salt
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make crust. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, butter and powdered sugar until combined. Press evenly into an un-greased 8-inch square pan, and 1/2 inch up the side of the pan. Bake 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile mix up the lemon ingredients with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). In another bowl mix up the orange ingredients until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).
4. Pour the lemon ingredients over the hot crust, then pour the orange ingredients over the lemon ingredients. Twirl the two flavors into each other with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when you gently press in the center. (If the center bubbles up while baking poke with a toothpick and it’ll settle.)
5. Cool completely (for about an hour). Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cut into squares and eat!