These buttery bars are bursting with in-season summer blueberries and an unexpected touch of cardamom, making for the perfect twist on your favourite summer dessert. Cardamom is baked into the crumb and topping, while fresh blueberries are cooked down with lemon zest into a simple blueberry preserve that makes for the perfect jammy filling. Plus, you can easily sub in whatever berries you have depending on what’s in season: raspberries, strawberries and blackberries all work well in this recipe. When all the layers come together, it’s pure summer magic.
Related: Crunchy Chinese Candied Strawberries (Strawberry Tanghulu)
ingredients
Blueberry preserve
Cardamom sugar crumb dough
Assembly
directions
Blueberry preserve can be swapped for storebought blueberry jam. This recipe requires 2 hours rest time.
To make the blueberry preserve: In a medium sized pot add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest.
Cook the mixture until blueberries have completely softened and the preserve has a syrupy consistency (this should take 5-8 minutes on medium heat). Remove from heat and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before using.
To make the cardamom crumb dough: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with butter and parchment paper.
In a medium sized bowl, using an electric mixer beat together flour, dark brown sugar, butter, salt and cardamom.
To assemble, press down ½ of the dough mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Combine fresh blueberries with cornstarch. Mix until combined.
Using a spoon spread the berries evenly over the dough and add dollops of prepared blueberry preserve over the blueberries.
Add the remaining cardamom sugar crumb dough over the berry mixture (do not press it down, just sprinkle it over).
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the crumble mixture is light golden brown on top.
Remove from the oven and let it come to room temperature before unmolding from the pan and portioning into bars. These bars can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
