Strawberry Crumble Bars

Can’t get through the new season strawberries quick enough? If your family is the same as mine, as soon as they turn a bit ‘squishy’ they no longer eat them. Don’t throw them away. Use them in baking like these easy Strawberry Crumble Bars.

 

This is one of those melt and mix recipes I love so well. No having to worry about creaming butter and sugar together. The base is also the crumble topping so not a lot to this recipe.

Make a start on the crumble topping and base by mixing all the dry ingredients together then mix in the melted butter.

Using half the mixture, press into a slice tin and bake for approximately 20 minutes or just starting to go golden brown on top. You don’t want to overcook it at this stage as it will need more baking once the fruit and topping has been added.

Set aside and prepare the strawberries.

Cut your strawberries in half or quarters and place in a saucepan with sugar. For 1 cup of strawberries I added 1/2 cup sugar. Slowly cook the strawberries until softened. You don’t want the strawberries to dissolve completely but still have some shape to them.

Spread across the prepared base.

Lightly cover the fruit with the remaining mixture, ‘crumbling’ it on top. Press lightly with the top of your hand and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Allow to cool and slice into squares or bars. Eat as is or drizzle with a simple icing glaze. These bars freeze really well and are perfect for lunch boxes or afternoon tea treats.

I’m not sure I had many leftover to freeze when I made this batch. The best part about this recipe is that you can use any fruit, fresh or tinned. No need to go and buy strawberries especially for it. Use what’s in season or what might lurking in the fridge. Apples, pears, pineapple, kiwifruit, mangoes, cherries, plums, nectarines, the choice is endless. Suitable to serve warm as a dessert too.

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Strawberry Crumble Bars

An easy cookie bar that is a melt and mix recipe and the biscuit mixture acts as the base and the crumble topping. You can substitute the strawberries with any fruit.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Author Anne Murphy

Ingredients

• 185 gm 6.1/2 oz butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1.1/2 cups plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
• 1.1/2 cups rolled oats oatmeal
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Fruit

• 1 cup strawberries or other fruit
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions

1. For the biscuit base, melt butter and add brown sugar, stir.
2. Add other ingredients and combine.
3. Place half of the mixture into a slice pan, 16x26cm (6″x10″), press down into pan and bake in a 180 deg C (360 deg F) oven for approx 20 minutes or until just golden.
4. For the fruit, over moderate heat, allow strawberries to soften and sugar to dissolve.
5. Remove from heat to cool.
6. Spread cooked strawberries over base.
7. Crumble remaining biscuit base mixture over the top of the fruit.
8. Return to oven for approx 10 minutes or until golden on top.
9. Serve warm with ice cream or cream for dessert or allow to cool and cut into bars.

Recipe Notes

Use any fruit you have, fresh or canned.
Eg apples, pears, pineapple, cherries, plums, nectarines, etc.
For extra flavour, add chopped nuts to the biscuit mixture to match the fruit eg walnuts with cherries or macadamia nuts with pineapple.

 

Blueberry & Ricotta Crumble Cake Bars

Typically winter is a great time for baking for me. It’s lovely and cool in my part of the world and having the oven on heats up the house. I’ve lost my baking mojo a bit lately.  Other than the usual suspects of cookies and muffins for the kids and being on a bit of a health kick, I haven’t really felt like baking anything or in fact eating anything. (I’m into my third week of non stop coughing and its driving me mad.)

I had about a quarter cup of ricotta left, blueberries in the freezer, plain yoghurt and all of the other basic ingredients. I felt like cake but only in bar (or slice) size. It’s easy to pack in lunch boxes and freeze too.

After googling a few keyword combinations, I found this, a Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Coffee Cake but it had quite a few ingredients and processes I couldn’t be bothered with so I adapted it with my usual No Fuss Fudge Cake. You remember the one? It was done in no time and it was delicious. A moist fudgey cake with a nearly cheesecake fruity filling and a crunchy crumbly top. Just what the doctor ordered.

Blueberry Ricotta Crumble Cake Bars

Cake mixture:

• 1 and half cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 6 tablespoons oil (I use canola)
• 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
• half teaspoon salt

Ricotta filling:

• 1/4 cup ricotta
• 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs icing sugar
• 1/2 cup blueberries

Crumble mixture:

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely

1. Turn oven to 160 C (320 F).
2. Line a slice pan, 16x26cm (6″x10″) with baking paper.
3. Mix flour,
   sugar and water in a bowl.
4. Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, baking soda and
   salt. Mix  until smooth. (Mixture is runny.) Pour into prepared pan.
5. Mix together ricotta filling and spoon gently onto wet cake mixture. Sprinkle blueberries over cake/ricotta mixture and lightly press down.
6. Sprinkle crumble mixture over cake and bake
   35 to 40 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in pan. Slice into squares and serve warm with ice cream and/or custard or eat cool for morning tea or for school lunch boxes.
8. Suitable to freeze.

Basic Fruit Crumble/Crisp

In my attempt to bring back the age old tradition of dessert after a meal, I have decided to have a fruit crumble tonight. I believe they call something similar a ‘crisp’ in the US but whatever you call it, it’s a great way to use up fruit starting to turn bad in the fridge or make up a quick dessert with tinned fruit.

Strawberry & Apple Crumble

 

 

These kind of desserts aren’t enjoyed that much in the warmer months here where I live in Queensland, Australia but are just perfect in our cooler months. It’s been a cool day today and will be cool tonight so I’ll be looking forward to this. It’s pretty low in calories too with only a little bit of butter used to bring all the crumble together and crisp it up. If I have them, I like to add nuts to the crumble mixture for a bit of extra crunch. Served with plain vanilla ice cream and I’m in heaven.

 

 

 

Apple, Cherry & Walnut Crumble

 

 

Basic Crumble

 

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup rolled
  oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup nuts of choice, chopped finely
• quantity of softened fruit (if using a hard fruit, eg apple, boil for about 5 mins until slightly softened)

1. Combine flour and butter and rub butter into flour until it resembles fine crumbs.
2. Add other ingredients and ‘crumble’ over the top of fruit.
3. Bake in a 180 deg C oven for approx 20 mins or until golden.

 

 

Caramel Apple Crumble Slice

I had heaps of leathery old apples in the fridge which definitely needed using up so I’m grateful for apples to make this Caramel Apple Crumble Slice.

This is your basic Apple Crumble (or Crisp as they call it in the USA) Slice with the addition of a thin layer of caramel under the apple. It’s just delicious. It can be served warm as a dessert with cream or ice cream or eaten cold for morning or afternoon tea. I had it for lunch, afternoon tea and dessert. Naughty, I know. I justified it by cutting smaller slices (sometimes).

Caramel Apple Crumble Slice

4-5 apples (any sort) peeled and chopped

Base & topping:
185gm (6.1/2 oz) butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1.1/2 cups plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1.1/2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Caramel layer:
400gm can condensed milk
2 tbs golden syrup
60gm (2oz) butter

1. For the apples, peel and chop apples and stir in a saucepan over heat until just softened. No need to add any more liquid or spices.
2. For the biscuit base, melt butter and add brown sugar, stir. 
3. Add other ingredients and combine. Place half of the mixture into a slice pan, 16x26cm (6″x10″), press down into pan and bake in a 180 deg C (360 deg F) oven for approx 10 minutes or until just golden.
4. For the caramel, combine all ingredients and stir over medium heat until slightly thicker and golden (approx 10 mins).
5. Spread caramel over biscuit base. Spread cooked apples over caramel. Crumble remaining biscuit base mixture over the top of the apple.
6. Return to oven for approx 10 minutes or until golden on top.
7. Serve warm with ice cream or cream for dessert or allow to cool and cut into bars.

 

 

Check out some of the other lovely caramel and apple creations.

 

 

 

 

Crunchy Almond Topped Strawberry & Apple Crumble

We were down to about 6 strawberries in the punnet that were starting to soften and 1 green apple in the fridge. I wasn’t sure if I’d use the strawberries in muffins or a cake but it was going to be a cool night so what better way than to use them up in a crumble. I didn’t peel the apple because I just loved the look of the red strawberries with the green of the Granny Smith apple but once cooked the apple skin fades, but it doesn’t alter the taste. I made the crunchy topping more like granola and it was really scrummy. Another good one for a cold night. (Note, what we call a ‘crumble’ here in Australia is called a ‘crisp’ in the USA.)

Crunchy Almond topped Strawberry & Apple Crumble

strawberries, cut in half
apples, diced in chunks
2 tbs lemon juice

Granola topping:
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup almonds, chopped finely
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbs butter, melted

1. Combine fruit with lemon juice and put in an ovenproof dish.
2. Combine ingredients for topping and place on top of fruit.
3. Bake in a 180 deg C oven until fruit has softened and topping is golden (approx 15 mins).
4. Serve with ice cream or cream.

Note: absolutely any fruit could be used here and any nut in the topping.

Apple, Cherry & Walnut Crumble

This Apple, Cherry & Walnut Crumble (Crisp) wasn’t really planned as it’s not exactly crumble weather in Brisbane at the moment. Something we usually like to keep for our cooler winter nights but I had some Granny Smiths lurking plus a half jar of Morello cherries waiting to be used up. I added the walnuts to the crumble mix and there was dessert for tonight.

You can use any fruit you like; peaches, apples, pears, cherries, nectarines, plums, pineapple, mango, bananas, whatever you like. My crumble mix is usually a bit of this and a bit of that. No real quantities and I like to use a nut of some sort in the crumble for a bit of extra http://radicore.org/fud/index.php?t=usrinfo&id=4352& crunch. I choose a nut that will compliment the fruit.

Apple, Cherry & Walnut Crumble

5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 cup Morello cherries, drained
1 tbs caster sugar

Crumble Mix:
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 180 deg C. Mix apple and cherries together, sprinkle sugar on top and put into a greased ovenproof dish.

Mix butter into the plain flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in other ingredients and place on top of the fruit. Bake for approx 20 mins or until golden. Serve with ice cream, cream or custard or all three!