{"id":11577373,"date":"2025-07-25T09:30:56","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T13:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/?p=11577373&preview=true&preview_id=11577373"},"modified":"2025-07-25T12:56:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T16:56:43","slug":"berry-bar-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.baltimoresun.com\/2025\/07\/25\/berry-bar-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Recipe: Summer berry bars with lemon glaze are easier than pie"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/strong><\/p>\n

Summer heat often makes baking less than desirable, so if you\u2019re going to heat up the kitchen to make dessert, you gotta make it worth every bead of sweat that collects on your forehead.<\/p>\n

These berry crumb bars are worth it and then some.<\/p>\n

Built on a forgiving shortbread-like crust (it\u2019s supposed to be crumbly) and topped with gooey seasonal fruit, they offer all the great taste of a summer pie but are so much easier to make since you don\u2019t have to bother with mixing and rolling out dough.<\/p>\n

How easy is this recipe? While a food processor or KitchenAid mixer will certainly speed things along, all you really need to cut in the butter that helps create the crumbly bottom layer is a fork or pastry cutter and some good old-fashioned elbow grease.<\/p>\n

I used a mix of blueberries and strawberries because the two fruits have such complementary flavors and are always easy to find, often on sale. Also, two contrasting colors are always more visually appealing in a dessert than one.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about the butter and sugar content, at least know this: Both fruits are fairly low-cal and packed with vitamin C and other nutrients. Also, blueberries are famous for their high antioxidant content.<\/p>\n

Be sure to allow the bars to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into squares or they will crumble. The original recipe finished the bars with a simple lemon glaze, but I served them without.<\/p>\n

Lemon Strawberry Crumb Bars<\/h4>\n
\"summer
These crumbly summer berry bars are filled with a mix of strawberries and blueberries. (Gretchen McKay\/The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette\/TNS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Serves 16; PG tested<\/em><\/p>\n

INGREDIENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled<\/p>\n

1 teaspoon baking powder<\/p>\n

1\/2 teaspoon salt<\/p>\n

1 cup unsalted butter, very cold and cubed<\/p>\n

1 large egg<\/p>\n

1 large egg yolk<\/p>\n

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar<\/p>\n

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract<\/p>\n

2 cups chopped strawberries<\/p>\n

2 cups blueberries<\/p>\n

1\/3 cup granulated sugar<\/p>\n

1 1\/2 tablespoons cornstarch<\/p>\n

1 teaspoon lemon zest<\/p>\n

For optional glaze<\/p>\n

1 cup confectioners\u2019 sugar, sifted<\/p>\n

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)<\/p>\n