Mixed Berry Crumble Bars — Big buttery crumbles top the soft, juicy bars packed with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries! Easy, no mixer recipe that’s irresistible!! (Frozen fruit okay!)
Easy Mixed Berry Bars
I love crumble or streusel toppings and the bigger the crumbles, the happier I am. It’s even better when the crust and crumble topping are one and the same. One less step, and one less bowl to wash, and a big timesaver and that’s the case here.
This an easy, no-mixer mixed berry dessert recipe that takes just minutes to make.
I merged three of my favorite berry bars into one to create these bars: Blueberry Pie Bars, Strawberry Lemonade Bars, and Blueberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars.
Between the buttery firm crust, juicy berries, sandy crumbles, and crunchy Fisher walnuts, there are so many wonderful textures and flavors in every bite!
Ingredients in Mixed Berry Bars
For these berry crumble bars, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Fisher walnuts
- Mixed berries
- Lemon juice
- Cornstarch
How to Make Mixed Berry Bars
This is such a simple but impressive dessert with mixed berries! To make the berry bars, follow these steps:
- Make the Crust and Crumble Topping: In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, then add the sugars and whisk to combine.
- And the flour, optional salt, and stir to combine.
- Set a heaping 3/4 cup crumble mixture aside.
- Transfer remaining mixture to a foil-lined 8-inch pan. Using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
- Make the Berry Layer: In a separate medium bowl, add all filling ingredients and toss to combine.
- Evenly distribute berry mixture over the crust, smoothing it lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle the reserved heaping 3/4 cup crust mixture.
- Evenly sprinkle on the walnuts.
- Bake the Bars: Bake until the edges are bubbling quite vigorously and there’s some bubbling in the center. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better) before slicing and serving.
Should I Use Fresh or Frozen Mixed Berries?
I generally bake with frozen fruit because it’s cheaper and readily available year-round, but of course you can use fresh. I used a combo of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Baking time will vary based on if your berries are fresh, frozen, and how juicy they are. Watch your bars and not the clock when evaluating doneness.
Can I Double This Recipe?
Yes! You can double the ingredients and bake the bars in a 9×13-inch pan.
Tips for the Best Mixed Berry Bars
I used frozen berries in this mixed berry dessert and the pan was very cold going into the oven and baked for 68 minutes. If using fresh berries, baking time will likely be reduced; start checking at 40 minutes. Watch your bars, not the clock, when evaluating doneness.
After the bars have cooled, I placed the pan in the fridge 2 hours before slicing to ensure clean, neat cuts. If you try to slice the bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart.
The crumble bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days (they’re good slightly chilled if you like chilled pie and I store them in the fridge), or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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Berry Crumble Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Crumble Topping
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¼ cup diced Fisher walnuts
Berry Layer
- 2 cups mixed berries, fresh or frozen; I used frozen strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, or 1/2 cup if berries are sour
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside. Lining the pan will really help with cleanup and is recommended.
- Crust and Crumble Topping – In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
- Add the sugars and whisk to combine.
- And the flour, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will be very dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces.
- Set a heaping 3/4 cup crumble mixture aside.
- Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust; set aside.
- Berry Layer – In a separate medium bowl, add all filling ingredients and toss to combine.
- Evenly distribute berry mixture over the crust, smoothing it lightly with a spatula.
- Evenly sprinkle the reserved heaping 3/4 cup crust mixture. Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourage bigger crumble pieces to form.
- Evenly sprinkle the walnuts.
- Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes (place pan on a cookie sheet for insurance against overflow if your pan is quite full), or until edges are bubbling quite vigorously and there’s some bubbling in the center. Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden.
- Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better) before slicing and serving. After cooling overnight, I placed pan in the fridge 2 hours before slicing to ensure clean, neat cuts. If you try to slice bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Berry Desserts:
Strawberry Lemonade Bars — Imagine crossing lemon bars with a strawberry pie. These easy bars taste like strawberry lemonade! Sooo good!
Blueberry Pie Bars – Super soft, easy bars with a creamy filling, streusel topping and abundance of juicy blueberries!
Tropical Escape Soft Pineapple Crumble Bars — Sweet, soft bars with big pineapple chunks that taste like a tropical vacation!
Oatmeal Mango Bars – These buttery bars are loaded with sweet fresh mango!! Just 10 minutes of prep, so EASY because the crust and crumble are one and the same, and a guaranteed family FAVORITE!!
Strawberry Oatmeal Bars with Crumble Topping — These buttery bars are bursting with fresh strawberries!! Just 10 minutes of prep, so EASY because the crust and crumble are one and the same, and a crowd FAVORITE every time!!
Strawberry Bars — Easy, no mixer bars with a shortbread crust, one pound of fresh berries, a layer of sweet custard, and creamy whipped topping!! A perfect warm weather dessert that everyone LOVES!!
Post is brought to you by Fisher. The recipes, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #ThinkFisher
So, I tried the recipe exactly as written today and the bars came out absolutely exquisite! The crust is perfection and the frozen fruit worked out great. Now, here’s the thing. I tried making it a week ago and thought there must have been something wrong with the amount of “glaze” for the fruit so I doubled it (don’t you hate when people mess with your recipe?) The upshot was, it turned into a juicy, gooey berry cobbler. So, the bottom line is, even if you mess with it, it still turns out great. I’m serving these to some folks who are often without food, so homemade with berries and freshly churned ice cream is a real treat! Thank you for your wonderful recipe! I will be sharing it on my FB page!
I made these today with freshly picked berries- red raspberries, golden raspberries, and blueberries. They were delicious and the perfect balance of flavors and ratios of fruit to crumb/crust. I loved the lemon flavor in the berries! Perfect recipe!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Your choice of berries sounds delicious!
Do you have a printer friendly version?
Yes you click PRINT in the recipe card section.
I doubled this recipe to have a 9×13 pan full. It was delish! My only concern was that the crust seemed too soft. In your picture yours looks crispier than mine did. I used frozen and partially frozen triple berries. I had intended to use all frozen but I live in Kansas and it is very hot here and the fruit I had measured out prior had partially thawed. By that time the fruit measured out to be only 2 c. so I measured out another 2 c. frozen so I would have enough so I ended up with a half frozen and a half thawed and drained bunch of fruit. Do you think that could have been it?
I think the half thawed fruit being as watery as it sounds like with your description, probably softened the crust a bit. You could always bake longer next time or use all fresh fruit, or use frozen straight from the freezer. Glad they tasted great!
Wanted to mention that I added a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to the crumble to subtly enhance the flavor. Everything else I followed exactly ?
Just made your berry crumble bars. My family is happily munching as I write this. Another hit, Averie! Thanks
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
These look and sound absolutely incredible! There are not words! Pinned!
How did you get your bars to look so neat and clean? Whenever I make recipes like this it always turns out really messy and more like a crisp. Still yummy, but don’t resemble bars. Did you wait a long time before slicing?
I actually addressed exactly how I slice my bars here! https://www.averiecooks.com/faq
Those look great. I will definitely make them this weekend!
Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe = )
I so want some of these bars right now!
I want some of your avocado recipes :)
These look awesome Averie! Crumble bars are one of my favorite dessert :) Pinned!
Thanks for pinning, Aimee!
Hi Averie, this is so easy to do. The kids would love this. Thanks a lot for posting. :)
I love anything with crumble topping and I am beginning a love affair with berries. So perfect! Pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
Hi Averie. These look amazing – I’m so happy I found your blug, it has saved me so many times :) Silly question for you…do I have to thaw out the frozen fruit before hand??
No, you can use it directly frozen. If you do thaw it, it will start releasing juice as it warms up so just better to use frozen/very cold if you’re using frozen fruit rather than fresh.
These look amazing Averie! And I love that they’re so easy! Just pinned!
Thanks for pinning!
I LOVE this recipe. I am ready to take a bite out of my screen. And you probably think I am kidding—-NOT.