Mumble Berry crumble bars

July 21, 2025

This recipe comes to us from the Schooner American Eagle. It’s a summer lunch dessert that takes advantage of all the fresh fruit that grows locally during the summer. Best used with super-ripe fruit.

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup very cold butter

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups fresh fruit, chopped (soft summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries work best)

Sugar to taste (maybe 1/3 cup, a bit of fruit preserves can also be substituted)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper

In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. (VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure the butter is very cold.) Work with the dough until the pieces are very small. Dough will be crumbly.

In a separate measuring cup or small bowl, beat an egg with a fork. Add the egg and vanilla to the flour mixture, and combine until you have a crumbly mixture.

Pat half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together sugar/fruit preserves, chopped fruit, and cornstarch.

Spoon the fruit mixture evenly over the bottom crust.

Crumble the remaining dough over the strawberry filling layer.

Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly golden brown. This bakes faster on a schooner. Another tell is that the fruit will be bubbling.

Cool completely before cutting into squares. This allows the fruit mixture to thicken and the bars to hold together.