These triple berry crumble bars are summer dessert perfection! Jammy raspberries, blueberries and blackberries are baked over a vanilla lemon shortbread cookie crust, and topped with a thick layer of buttery shortbread crumble.

Why you’ll love these triple berry crumble bars

Shortbread cookie crust and crumble– A delicious vanilla lemon shortbread cookie dough makes the base of these bars, then the rest of the dough is sprinkled over the berries, and baked into a perfect buttery, golden brown crumble.

Jammy mixed berries– Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries get tossed with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest, turning into a bright and delicious, juicy, jammy consistency once baked.

Simple to make– The crust and crumble are made from the same dough, with just a few ingredients, that comes together quickly. After tossing the berries and assembling the bars, you’re ready to bake in hardly anytime at all!

For the full recipe, including measurements, step by step instructions, and bake time, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is just a brief overview!

Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips to extract the most lemon flavor from the zest.
Add in the softened butter and vanilla. Cream together until very light and fluffy.

Add in the flour and salt. Mix until the dough forms into large clumps.
Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of a 9x9in pan. Reserve 1/3 for the crumble topping.
Add the berries to a large bowl and toss with sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice.
Pour the berries over the crust.
Sprinkle the remaining dough over the berries. Then bake until the crumble is golden brown and the berries are bubbling.
Let cool completely, the cut into 16 squares and enjoy! 🙂

Triple Berry Crumble Bars FAQs

Can I use frozen berries?

Yes, but fresh berries work best for this recipe, so I do recommend sticking with fresh berries. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them first, use straight from the freezer. You will also probably need to bake the bars for a bit longer, about 10-15 minutes more.

How do I store berry crumble bars?

I have found that the bars are stored best uncovered, allowed to breathe. I know this sounds odd, but covering them leads to them getting soggy faster. They will really only keep nicely for about two days after baking, so I do recommend eating straight away!

Can these be made gluten free?

I have been on my own gluten free journey lately and have found that most of my recipes turn out great GF- Hooray! There is a caveat though, I can only say the recipe will come out good with Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour. This is not sponsored, but my true opinion. This is the only gluten free flour I use as it bakes most similarly to regular, all-purpose flour.

Tips for baking perfect triple berry crumble bars

Measure your flour properly. This is always my #1 baking tip. Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour. This will always lead to using too much flour. Instead, sprinkle spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cup and swipe excess flour off with the back of a knife. Or better yet, weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. 1 cup of flour equals 125 grams.

Let the bars cool completely before serving. Cooling the crumble bars to room temperature will allow the jammy berry filling to set properly.

If you make these triple berry crumble bars please leave a star review! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!

Other Recipes to Try

Lemon Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake
blueberry cheesecake bar with a bite taken out on top of other bars

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Lemon Blueberry Rolls
5 from 10 ratings

Triple Berry Crumble Bars

Yield: 16 bars
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 35 minutes
These triple berry crumble bars are summer dessert perfection! Jammy raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, over a vanilla lemon shortbread cookie crust, topped with a thick layer of buttery shortbread crumble.
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Ingredients

For the Shortbread Crust & Crumble

  • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated white sugar
  • 1 tbsp (10 g) lemon zest
  • 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups (312 g) all purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt

For the Triple Berry Filling

  • 1 3/4 cups (232 g/ 8 oz.) fresh raspberries
  • 1 1/2 cups (240 g/ 8.5 oz.) fresh blueberries
  • 1 3/4 cups (250 g/ 9 oz.) fresh blackberries
  • 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
  • 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp (10 g) lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

Instructions
 

For the Crust

  • Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Spray a 9×9 inch pan with non-stick spray and line it with parchment paper.
  • Add the sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingertips to extract the most lemon flavor from the zest.
    1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated white sugar, 1 tbsp (10 g) lemon zest
  • Add in the softened butter and vanilla. Cream together with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until very light and fluffy.
    1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 tsp vanilla
  • Add in the flour and salt. Mix on low speed just until combined. The dough should form into large clumps.
    2 1/2 cups (312 g) all purpose flour, 3/4 tsp salt
  • Set aside 1/3 of the dough for the crumble, and use 2/3 of the dough for the crust.
    (If you want to be very precise, use a kitchen scale to weigh the entirety of the dough and divide by three so you know exactly how many grams of dough should be used for the topping! 🙂 )
  • Chill the portion of dough reserved for the crumble in the fridge while working on the rest of the bars.
  • Press the larger portion of dough into the bottom of the prepared 9×9 inch pan. A small offset spatula really helps to smooth out the dough into one even layer.

For the Berry Filling

  • Add the raspberries, blueberries and blackberries to a large bowl.
    1 3/4 cups (232 g/ 8 oz.) fresh raspberries, 1 1/2 cups (240 g/ 8.5 oz.) fresh blueberries, 1 3/4 cups (250 g/ 9 oz.) fresh blackberries
  • Add in the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice. Gently toss with a spatula to coat the berries. Let the berries sit for a few minutes to absorb the cornstarch and make a bit of a juice.
    3/4 cup (150 g) granulated white sugar, 1/4 cup (32 g) cornstarch, 1 tbsp (10 g) lemon zest, 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
  • Then, pour berry filling over the crust.
  • Remove the crumble from the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the berries.
  • Bake the bars for 65-70 minutes, or until they're golden brown on top and the berry filling is bubbling.
  • Let the berry crumble bars cool completely on a wire rack before cutting to ensure the filling has time to firm up. Once cooled, cut into 16 bars and enjoy!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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