Blueberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients

• 300g / 10.5oz caster sugar
• 425g / 15oz all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 225g / 8oz cold butter, diced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tsp cornflour
• 600g / 21oz fresh blueberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 2/3 of the sugar with the flour and baking powder.
3. Mix in the salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. The dough will be crumbly. (Alternatively, briefly whizz the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a food processor to just combine.)
4. Add the butter and egg. Blend until a crumbly dough is formed. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
5. In another bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cornflour and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the berry layer.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly brown.
7. Cool completely before cutting into squares (they will cut even easier if you chill them in the fridge), though cutting just a few crumbly ones still warm from the oven will do no harm to the rest of the pan.