3 cups of fresh mixed berries OR 600g of frozen mixed berries
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
For the crumble crust:
2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of oat flour
1 cup of pecan meal
¾ cup of golden yellow sugar, packed
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of butter, at room temperature
1 egg, beaten
Takes ,
serves 12.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
To prepare the berries: If using fresh berries, cut larger berries into smaller pieces. If using frozen fruit, thaw in fridge overnight or place them in a large colander and let thaw for a couple of hours at room temperature, then cut larger berries into smaller pieces. Drain well.
In a large bowl, mix berries with sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside.
To prepare the crust: In another bowl, stir together oats, oat flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add softened butter and mix with a fork or your hands until it becomes a crumble-like mixture. Stir in egg until well combined and the crumble becomes sticky.
Pat two-thirds of the crumble crust into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Arrange the berry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumble over berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is slightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into mini bars or squares.
Fina Scroppo is in the Weekend at the Cottage kitchen making her BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS – get ready for an awesome treat!
As faithful followers of Weekend at the Cottage know, we’re big fans of making time count when we spend it with friends and family. Such was the case a few weeks back when we welcomed our dear friend Fina Scroppo up for a few days. We knew we’d enjoy the visit, but then Fina started baking and we started wishing it would never end!
I met Fina years ago and we instantly got to talking about food, recipes and entertaining – we’re both committed foodies. Fina is the author of The Healthy Italian, a deliciously captivating cookbook packed with over 150 recipes. Her mantra is, “Cooking for the love of food and family!” Head HERE to visit Fina’s WEBSITE or visit our Amazon links below to purchase her wonderful cookbook.
Fina arrived at the cottage ready to make a treat, and this recipe for BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS is a keeper. You won’t find it in her cookbook though, so I suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite dessert board or BOOKMARK this page for easy access. Carol and I agree that we’ll both be making this easy crumble recipe, again and again, it’s so good.
Here’s what makes Fina’s BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS so perfect.
HUMBLE CRUMBLE
You might be surprised by the simplicity of the ingredients featured in the photo, but don’t be – everything is readily available at your local grocer or bulk food store, including these two things worth mentioning, oat flour and pecan meal.
The oat flour gives the bars a rich colour and texture while the pecan meal adds a great nuttiness that plays so well off the berries. Fina’s expert tip on the pecan meal is to pulse pecan bits in a food processor to get that fine meal look, though I’ll use my mom’s vintage nut grinder next time I make them. You’ll have great success with either technique.
VERY BERRY
Never one to miss an opportunity, Fina calls for the use of three berries – strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. Yes, you’ll actually pick up the flavour notes of the three varieties in each bite, but I’ll also give Fina props for the colour combination that shines through when you cut this treat into bars. Stunning!
WAIT FOR IT!
I’m always game to learn new things whenever I make something for the first time. The takeaway from this recipe is to let the berries sit for a bit to macerate. What does that mean? The berries release their juices once they’re mixed with the lemon juice, sugar, vanilla and cornstarch.
Another key step is to strain the berries from the juice before placing them onto the pastry base. This keeps the base from getting all mushy and soggy. Who knew? Fina did, and we’re thankful she shared these key tips.
BOTTOM’S UP!
Both Carol and I love the way Fina kept this recipe purposefully easy by using the same dough mix for both the base and top. Two-thirds of the dough is first packed firmly into the baking dish as the base while the remaining third is then crumbled and sprinkled over the berries as the topping. Double the fun and half the work!
After the BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS were baked, then came the tough part – waiting. Fina suggested we let them cool, then wrap and refrigerate them overnight. Her call was spot on because the next day those scrumptious BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS disappeared in no time.
There you have it, a stellar recipe that delivers memorable flavours with just a little effort. Heartfelt thanks to our dear friend Fina Scroppo – hurry back!
UPDATE! Forgot to mention that both Carol and Fina left the day after we created this story and recipe. Being the dutiful host that I am, I packed up a few bars for them to take home and Carol called me en route, though it was tough to understand her. “Nik, these are so amazing, I can’t stop eating them!” she said through a mouthful. So take it from Carol – these BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS travel well. Make ‘em and take ‘em along on your next road trip!
BERRY PECAN CRUMBLE BARS – easy, tasty and wonderful!
3 cups of fresh mixed berries OR 600g of frozen mixed berries
¼ cup of granulated sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
For the crumble crust:
2 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of oat flour
1 cup of pecan meal
¾ cup of golden yellow sugar, packed
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of kosher salt
2/3 cup of butter, at room temperature
1 egg, beaten
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
To prepare the berries: If using fresh berries, cut larger berries into smaller pieces. If using frozen fruit, thaw in fridge overnight or place them in a large colander and let thaw for a couple of hours at room temperature, then cut larger berries into smaller pieces. Drain well.
In a large bowl, mix berries with sugar, flour, cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Set aside.
To prepare the crust: In another bowl, stir together oats, oat flour, pecan meal, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add softened butter and mix with a fork or your hands until it becomes a crumble-like mixture. Stir in egg until well combined and the crumble becomes sticky.
Pat two-thirds of the crumble crust into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Arrange the berry mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with remaining crumble over berry layer. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is slightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into mini bars or squares.
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