Ahhh, another lovely week of summer in Chicago. Where we all wore coats, gloves, and blankets to the 53 overcast and windy baseball game on Saturday. Where I decided that no, it isn’t time to turn off my oven for the season, and I can make one more sweet treat before I resort entirely to the grill.
Of course, my first choice was chocolate chip bars, but then I decided that maybe I should be nice to Little Miss and see if I could make something dairy-free instead. I thought about what I could do for a while, and I finally came up with an idea. And luckily, I had frozen blueberries in my freezer — as opposed to sitting on my counter? — so we were in luck.
I present you with…
Blueberry Crumble Bars

How to Make Blueberry Crumble Bars
Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup each brown and white sugar, 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening, almond extract, and egg. The dough will be crumbly.
Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Add the orange zest, and mix again. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust, then crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes then turn up the heat to 400 degrees for the last 15 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
My husband, who claims not to like dairy-free desserts, went for seconds while I was putting the wee ones to bed. His second square about about 3×3″. He pronounced it a winner, and Little Miss asked me to make it again. I think I will. Once summer in Chicago ends — assuming it ever starts!
It reminds me a lot of my mom’s blueberry streusel coffeecake without pretending to be something that’s for breakfast that I instead eat anytime I start getting hungry, whether it’s 8 am or 9 pm, once it’s made. I like that it’s lighter and more unique than a lot of the bar recipes I have.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar divided
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1 orange zested
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 cup each brown and white sugar, 3 cups flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the shortening, almond extract, and egg. The dough will be crumbly.1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 cup shortening, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, 1 egg
- Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
- In another bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Gently mix in the blueberries. Add the orange zest, and mix again. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust, then crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.4 cups frozen or fresh blueberries, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 orange
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes then turn up the heat to 400 degrees for the last 15 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you aren’t dairy-free, use butter and it will taste even better.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Yum!
You guys are getting our crappy weather. We had a miserable cold weekend her as well. But your blueberry bars sound like the perfect treat to take your mind off it.
Delish! That is certainly a recipe I will try.
Yum! 😀 Blueberries are a fave of mine. I wish we had a place where we could pick them here but alas have to stick to frozen or picking them up from the produce. 😀
Oh those look yummy MIchelle! I love this time of year, perfect for Blueberry buckle!
Michelle, you need to put together a cook book! You know how to make family friendly recipes. I appreciate your Tasty Tuesdays:)