These juicy Blueberry Apple Crumble Bars have a pie-like fruit filling surrounded by a crunchy oat crumble crust and topping. Absolutely delicious and full of texture!
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My discovery of the summer is how much I L.O.V.E. baking with fresh fruit.
You might as well call me addicted, as just the mere thought of a fruit-less winter gives me withdrawal-like effects.
In an attempt to prepare for winter, I baked these blueberry apple crumble bars for the third time this summer. But this time, I used blueberries from the freezer section of the grocery store. To my delight, they came out just as amazing as their fresh fruit counterparts.
The fresh or frozen blueberries are cooked into a pie-like filling and topped with tart apple slices. The addition of the apple slices helps to balance the sweetness of the blueberries and adds a nice contrast to the flavor profile.
The Fruit Combinations With the Crumble Make This Dish Insanely Good
There is a nice 2-in-1 thing going on with the oat crumble. It serves as crust as well as topping. No need to whip up two different batches.
When the bars come out of the oven, there is this awesome bubbling and sizzling action going on. I just had to record the hubbub for my first-ever Instagram video.
Random Questions
Blueberry crumble typically consists of a fruit filling made with blueberries, sugar, and sometimes other flavoring agents such as lemon juice or spices. The crumble topping usually includes a mixture of oats, flour, sugar, and butter or a substitute for a crisp, crunchy texture.
Yes, you can bake with frozen blueberries. While fresh blueberries are often preferred for their texture and flavor, frozen blueberries can be a convenient and accessible option, especially when fresh blueberries are out of season. They can be used directly from the freezer in various baked goods like muffins, pies, and crumbles. Adjustments may be necessary in the baking time to account for the extra moisture released from the frozen berries.
Looking For More Fruity Desserts?
Check out these fruity recipes!
Recipe
Blueberry Apple Crumble Bars
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 3 cups blueberries fresh or frozen (not thawed)
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup orange juice I prefer freshly squeezed
- 4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 large Granny Smith apple peeled and sliced
For the Crust & Crumble Topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats also called large flake oats
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup virgin coconut oil melted
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar for sprinkling; optional
Instructions
Filling:
- Start by preparing the filling. Combine the blueberries with sugar and orange juice in a saucepan. Cook at medium heat and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for 1 minutes, then whisk for 1 minute. Stir the cornstarch together with 4 tablespoons of water until smooth. Add cornstarch mix to blueberries, stir and simmer on low for 3-4 minutes until mixture thickens. Take off heat, transfer to a bowl and let cool in the fridge while preparing crust.
Crust and Crumble Topping:
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine flours, oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add melted coconut oil and mix until crumbly. Evenly spread and press ⅔ of the mixture tightly into the prepared pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven and spread cooled blueberry filling on top. Place apple slices on top of the blueberry filling (see picture). Spread remaining crumble over top.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until slightly browned. Let the bars cool on the counter for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool fully (about 3 hours). Bars won't cut unless they have been chilled.
Pin Blueberry Apple Crumble Bars recipe for later?
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.
And you the best way to serve these Blueberry Apple Crumble Bars? Topped with a scoop of freshly churned vanilla ice cream, of course!! Looking for the best ice cream maker for homemade ice cream? Check out my ice cream machine reviews here.
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Jacquee
Um, let me just say that first shot made my mouth water a little!! Making great use of that DSLR, I see! 🙂
Regina
Aww...thanks so much sweet lady. Seems like there is so much to figure out but I love it!
Cindy @PIck Fresh Foods
I just love fruit bars! These look amazing! I wish I could have one right now! Put a crumb topping on anything and I'm happy. Can't wait to try 😀
Regina
Thank you so much Cindy! I am right there with you - absolutely in love with fruit and crumbs 🙂 Hope you try these
Natalie
These look AMAZING. Great job on these, I can't wait to make them myself!
Regina
Thanks Natalie! Let me know what you think if you try them 🙂
Dina
they look yummy!
Regina
Thank you very much Dina 🙂
Janine
These look amazing! I bet they'd work really well with blackberries too. I'll definitely try them this autumn.
Regina
Thank you Janine 🙂 I am certain blackberries would be wonderful as well. It might not even need the apple layer then to produce a more contrasting flavor
Janine
I tried this recipe with blackberries and it worked really well, as I thought! I adapted it a bit for metric measurements, but mostly left the recipe as is. Thanks for sharing!
Regina
SO happy to hear the blackberry version came out great 🙂 Oh yeah, the confusing world of measurements. I grew up with only metric recipe instructions but have slowly converted. Your comment reminds me though that I should start adding both sets of measurements for all my recipes.
Laura Dembowski
Fresh fruit is the best to bake with! These bars look so yummy with all that filling!
Regina
Lovely to hear from another fruit lover. And yes, there is definitely no shortage of filling in these bars 🙂
sally @ sallys baking addiction
I simply adore baking with fresh fruit too. And these bars look amazing! So happy to have inspired you to make them. 🙂
Regina
These bars are perfect for us fruit lovers! Thank you so much for your inspiration Sally