Mixed Berry Crumble Bars

Making a mixed berry compote has become a quarantine favorite. Using a bag of frozen fruit that includes blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and cherries, I’ve been cooking the fruit down with some turbinado sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. The final product is delicious on toast, over ice cream, or as a key component in these mixed berry crumble bars.

Once again, I made berry bars before and couldn’t remember exactly which recipe I used, so I turned to Healthy Gluten-Free Family to use the Berry Crumble Bar recipe found here as inspiration. Since I already had the mixed berry compote ready to go in the refrigerator, that was one part of this recipe I could skip over.

Ingredients:

Cookie Base:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (with xanthan gum)
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)

**The melted butter is different than the original recipe since I was mixing by hand, but it worked out perfectly!

Crumble

• 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/3 cup reserved cup of the cookie base from above

Mixed Berry Filling

1 jar of mixed berry compote or your choice of fruit spread or jam

If your fruit spread is kept in the refrigerator, I would take it out and let it come up to room temperature to make spreading it on the cookie base easier.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper hangs over the edges so you can lift the paper right out of the pan when the bars are done.

Make the cookie base

1. Add the flour, cane sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and and whisk together to combine.
2. Melt the butter and let it cool 1-2 minutes before adding it to the flour mixture and mixing it until a dough forms.
3. Measure and set aside 1/3 cup of the dough, which will be used in the crumble.
4. Using your hands, press the remaining dough into an even layer in the prepared baking pan.
5. Bake 14-16 minutes or until edges begin to brown, rotating the pan halfway though baking.

Crumble Topping

1. While the base bakes, add the reserved dough, brown sugar, and oats into the mixing bowl used for the base. Using a mixer, pastry cutter or your hands, mix until combined and “crumbly”. Set aside.

Assemble

1. Pour the mixed berry compote over the hot cookie base and spread evenly. Sprinkle with crumble topping pinching crumble with fingers to create tiny crumble “clumps”. Do not press crumble into the filling.
2. Bake 22-25 minutes or until filling bubbling and crumble topping golden brown.
3. Let bars cool completely in the pan.
4. When cooled completely, lift the the parchment paper out of the baking pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into square and enjoy!
5. Store in the refrigerator for several days.