July in New Hampshire means the blueberries are ready for picking! Here in Goffstown we have Berry Good Farm which is a huge blueberry farm, and it’s the one and only place to go for wonderful, plump, sweet blueberries.
What to do with all these fresh berries? I have a recipe that I’ve been using for years that is so perfectly flexible because you can use ANY berry or fruit.
photos above show the blueberry crumb bars made with 100% whole wheat flour which results in a darker color and heavier texture.
Blueberry Crumb Bars Recipe
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground cinnamon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
- In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes: I have made this recipe with both white flour and also 100% whole wheat flour. I vastly prefer the look and taste of the regular flour, although conscience usually persuades me to use the whole wheat. Then again, when you’re adding 2 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups of white sugar to something, does it really matter?? The original recipe that I got this from uses shortening but I just use butter instead.
For more local goodness from Goffstown, be sure to check out my post featuring photos of the beautiful food at High Street Farm House, a wonderful restaurant here in town.
