Blueberry Bars

 My week has flown by. My darling friends Amber and Kelly are coming to visit this weekend and well it is necessary to have something sweet in the house when you have guests. 

We have actually had this weekend planned for months now. That is what happens when you get older. You have to plan months in advance to visit friends in different states. Schedules are always conflicting and it takes some sharing of calendars to find a weekend that will fit in the best. 

And so it is this fine weekend we get to reunite. I am quite thankful. I miss seeing these ladies on a regular basis. Moving out of DC was good for me but now I miss seeing some fantastic people. Alas, having visitors is quite fun and I am sure we will stir up some trouble.

 And by trouble I mean perhaps eat this entire pan of blueberry bars. I have been waiting to use these blueberries that were picked last week and so here we are. A delightful slightly sweet and blueberry tart kind of treat that is perfect for any time of day.

I suspect these could be a late night snack after the baseball game or maybe over morning coffee/tea. Admittedly I kind of goofed making the crumb topping. I let the butter get a little too soft before mixing it up so it is not as substantial as I would have liked but that is what happens right? You get distracted and you get impatient and BAM...the topping isn't your best but still works. Living life one crumb at a time.

Blueberry Bars
Inspired by All Recipes
For cookie crust:
3 cups flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter
zest of one lemon
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

For the blueberries:
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbls corn starch
juice of one lemon

For the crumb topping:
10 Tbls cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup unbleached flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. 

To make the crust, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Then rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers. Mix into the flour. Using a pastry blender or your hands cut in the butter until you have pea-sized bits of butter and the batter is crumbly. Finally, mix in the egg and press into baking pan.

Mix the blueberries lightly with the lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar. Top the cookie crust with the blueberries.

Now mix all of the crumb ingredients together with your hands or pulse in a food processor. Top the blueberries with the crumb mixture.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Let cool before cutting into bars.