Blackberry Crumble Bars
I said it before and I’ll say it again – if a dessert doesn’t have chocolate in it, I want nothing to do with it. And that came in handy since I’m currently not consuming sugar, yet I had to bake, slice, and photograph these bars, all while not licking my fingers. Licking your fingers is disgusting, especially in public after you just touched the door handle to get in the BBQ restaurant where you’re suddenly licking every inch of your hand. I used to work with someone who would stick their entire finger in their mouth no matter what he was eating. Talk about triggered. But when you’re in the comfort of your own home, with your own washed hands, lick away. Sadly I didn’t get to partake in that activity with this recipe. I kept my hands to myself and waited for my husband to get home to taste and rate these bars. He rated them a hundred million thousand out of 10, so I’m trusting him they are pretty damn delicious and good enough to give you guys the recipe. But feel free to give me your honest rating once you bake these up! My husband has to live with me 24/7 so I’m not sure he’s the most reliable source.
I’m currently trying to get down to the bottom of my acne issues that have gone on since I was 12. And no topical product or supplement is going to clear it. Believe me, I’ve tried close to everything. It’s obviously that there is something going on in my body and it’s showing it’s ugly head through acne. So over the weekend I cut out caffeine and sugar, and started a liver detox. I’m not taking any supplements or products to clear out the liver, I’m simply eating LOTS of fiber. I’ll share all the details about it on the podcast this week! But something that was BRUTAL was the caffeine withdrawals. I never thought I was even addicted to caffeine, I mostly just felt like I enjoyed the taste and the routine. But my body proved me wrong. On day 2, I had a headache ALL.DAY.LONG. As a person who can count the number of headaches I’ve had in my life on one hand – an all day headache was pretty upsetting. I never understood what people meant when they had a hangover headache until I experienced that withdrawal symptom.
Cutting out sugar wasn’t even hard. I haven’t thought about it at all. Sure, I was bummed to not try these, but that’s about it. It was the caffeine that really bummed me out. I still miss it! Now my mornings include drinking 40 ounces of water to start the day. How lame is that? I know I know, I’m sure there are tons of non-coffee drinks out there like teas or cacao mixes, but I’m staying away from all of that for now until I get control and a better understanding of what is happening to my skin. Now I simply walk into my favorite coffee shop and simply smell the coffee air. I’m hoping that once I get control of my body, I can start having decaf once in a while. I don’t drink much alcohol – coffee is the one thing that keeps me talking to other human beings since I never leave my house for anything else. I may become completely antisocial if I stay away from coffee forever.
Bodies are just so weird. I really envy the people out there who just seem to live life, eating whatever, going about their day not thinking twice about any of that. Must be nice. Speaking of must be nice, do you watch Letterkenny yet? It’s yet ANOTHER amazing tv show that came out of Canada. Canada knows what’s up – good people, good food, good tv. On Letterkenny they have an episode where they talk about how everyone thinks they’re an expert then they say, “Must be FUCKING NICE.” I always think of that when people tell me that they cut out dairy and their acne cleared up…must be fucking nice! Or when someone says they started taking one supplement and their acne disappeared…must be fucking nice. Or when they say that their zits cleared up as soon as they started using a silk pillow case…must be fucking nice! Look up that episode, it’s a gem. I sound like such a grumpy ole bitch…and that’s because I am. A 32 year old, acne ridden, grumpy ole bitch. On that note, I’m off to day dream about coffee!
Blackberry Blueberry Crumble Bars
- Author: juli
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup melted ghee or coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- pinch of salt
For the fruit layer
- 6 ounces blueberries
- 6 ounces blackberries
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the crumble topping
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper and grease.
- Add all ingredients for the crust into a food processor and pulse until completely combine. The dough should mix into a slight ball once combined. Put dough in a pan and use your fingers to press dough around evenly throughout the pan.
- In a bowl, toss together all ingredients for the fruit layer then add it evenly on top of the crust layer.
- Lastly, add all the ingredients for the toppings to the food processor and pulse until broken down into a crumble texture that sticks together in a slight ball. Use your fingers to spread out the crisp mixture evenly throughout the dish on top of the berries.
- Place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from pan then slicing into 16 bars.
________________
You May Also Like:
Chocolate Chip Raspberry Cookie Bars
____________
Click Here To Get All My PaleOMG Recipes Into Your Meal Planner With Real Plans!
This post contains some affiliate links and I may be compensated, but all opinions are my own. This compensation helps with expenses to keep this blog up and running! Thank you for all your support!
Oh, Hi! I’m Juli.
DON’T MISS A BITE
discounts, and stories straight to your inbox for FREE!
39 thoughts on “Blackberry Crumble Bars”
for me it was night shades. i cut them out and my acne finally went away (had it since age 12 also…). also, my face stopped looking so red.
i’m the one who asked you to do a podcast on night shades a while back…maybe worth a try? (eliminating, not the podcast). sorry to be that person, but I too feel the despair of adult acne 🙁
I found out I was allergic to eggs a few years back and after you said that eggs gave you acne, I realized that they do the same thing to me. I didn’t think eating something made with eggs would do that, and if I have an omelet (which I crave) omg, I will have breakouts for days!! Thanks for making recipes without eggs, (or substitutes) much appreciated!
★★★★★
such a bummer!! hope you like this recipe!!
may have to try that!!
These bars are AMAZING. Seriously, one of my favorite fruit desserts to date. I’m off nuts right now so I subbed tigernut flour for the almond flour and they baked up beautifully. Also added raspberries- delish. Thanks for a great recipe! Making this again for my dad for Father’s Day! 🙂
★★★★★
awesome!! so glad you liked them!
I’ve been on accutane, birth control, and any other oral or topical medication you could think of for acne. I’ve tried high end facial product, monthly hydra facials and chemical peels through my dermatologist, and every elimination diet you could imagine. The only thing that has helped me finally maintain my acne free face for the last two years after struggling for 15+ years was cutting back on my workouts. I realized this after taking time off on some vacations and my face cleared up, and when I returned to 4-5 workouts a week my acne returned. Now I do 2 full body weight workouts per week, and 2 days of gentle yoga and walking. As soon as I get a little addicted to working out hard again the acne comes back. I’ve come to realize that’s my body’s way of telling me it’s too much and to chill out. And my weight has been easier to maintain the less I workout too so it’s a win win. Hope you figure out what your body is telling you, it’s frustrating!
Wow that’s super interesting! Way to really listen to your body!
that’s exactly why I quit HIIT pretty much all together. now I simply lift and that’s it!
My acne mostly went away with differin gel but the kicker was you recommending vivant skincare. The mandelic acid wash has completely changed my skin and reduced my pore size dramatically. I will never go without it! I still battle chest and back acne but at least my face looks good. Gotta look at the bright side, right?
so glad that brand worked for you!!
Love your dog being in the photos. Older? Grey muzzle. Bulldog? S/he has sweet eyes.
Linda
★★★★★
he’s a 7 year old french bulldog!
I think you’re absolutely beautiful Juli & can’t wait to make these! I’ve been feeling more and more that my body wants your foods and doesn’t want the things I used to think of as ‘good’ or ‘treats’ so-to-speak, even though I’m totally dedicated to cooking and baking from scratch and use organic ingredients alone. It’s def the sugar thing- hard to get off of completely so need a way that works while transitioning. (Any ideas?) Every single thing I’ve ever made on your site is absolutely flawless and delicious and can’t wait to try more. Keep them coming!!😘😘❤️❤️
★★★★★
thanks for the love Gigi! i think if you stay away from baking and packaged foods, it’s actually pretty easy to get off of sugar without even noticing it!
I’ll be making these for a Canada party where a few people cannot eat gluten or dairy. They look perfect. But I also read your post. gurl I feel your pain. I’ve had acne since 25 and I just turned 50. I’ve done everything. And I mean everything. Including elimination diets. Thousands of dollars spent on naturopathic doctors and supplements. Liver detox. Nothing!! The only thing that works is BCP and I hate taking these!! I’m so exhausted by all the different info and “cures”. It’s devastating. I think because the pill works for me, my issue must be hormonal? But I totally get you when people have their issue disappear yet yours (and mine) is a stubborn AF! Keep us updated on your results 😊
that definitely sounds like a hormonal issue. and from what i understand, the only way to get those hormones OUT of your body is having a binding agent for them to bind to, aka beans. if they don’t have that, they continue to be recycled in the body and the acne just continues to come back over and over
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the magic beans way of eating. I looked it up and am curious. I tried the cutting out sugar and coffee too at one time which I think for general health is always a good idea to cycle it but I found in the end it really is hormones that cause cystic acne and all these measures help but the biggest one is balancing out our hormones. Good luck!
thanks Liza!!
Dearest Juli,
Standing in a grocery line one day, I ran across an article in a magazine talking about aspartame and Acesulfame potassium. It was a long involved article but it is essentially boiled down to “am I allergic to it” … so I looked at everything I was eating from that point on and started to stay away from it and I could not believe the change in my skin! That stuff is absolute poison and it’s in a lot of things! I had no idea! I did not discovered this until I was 48. I have been suffering from acne since I was 8 years old. And it was cyst acne along with regular acne. I am now 59, and my skin is smoother than it is ever been and that is the ONLY change I made.
I made the blueberry crumble bars bars. They were absolutely delicious! The only change that I made was cassava flour in lieu of the tapioca because I did not have any.
i definitely don’t consume foods with those ingredients in them. and i have since college.
These look so good! I have a ton of blackberries at the moment. I completely understand how it feels to have acne. I had since I was 17 until a couple of years ago and I’m 32 years old now. Now my skin is freaking perfect. I get compliments all the time and I don’t wear any makeup anymore because I have nothing to cover. It feels strange to get compliments on the thing that caused me so much pain over the years. I tried absoutely everything under the sun including plenty of elimination diets that did not work. In the end I realised I was using too many products and extensive routines of active ingredients (I know you love derma rolĺer and treatments, peels, active skincare) which can damage the skin barrier (I was doing all those things too). It’s not my place to say this Julie but try going for a month without active ingredients and repair the skin barrier. The skin will get strong, resilient, the redness goes away, the acne goes away. It’s all about the skin barrier. Even now with my clear skin I only use a chemical exfoliant about once a month, more than that and I start getting breakouts. And I only use products free of alcohol, fragrance and essential oils which although natural, are terrible for irritating the skin. All the best.
i think it’s more about the gut vs the skin barrier personally
Great recipe; just made it! YUM! 🙂 With regard to Skincare breakouts, check out http://www.facerealityskincare.com and also http://www.facerealityacneclinic.com for more information on Acne breakouts. On the FaceRealitySkincare.com website there’s a link at the top right entitled “Acne Information Center”, click on that and then look for the Self Help Acne Guide . . .lots of articles but one in particular to check out is the “Pore Clogging Ingredients” and be sure to check your skincare and cosmetics for any of these Pore Clogging ingredients. Hope this helps! Lynn
I have this in the oven right now and it smells like heaven! I didn’t have pecans or walnuts on hand so I used 1/2 cup of cashews for the topping instead. Next time I will probably double the topping mixture as I had a hard time getting it to cover the entire 8X8 pan. Nonetheless, every recipe of yours that I try is AMAZING and I’m so excited to dig into these! It will be very hard to let them cool before I serve them.
★★★★★
if you flatten out the toppings, you shouldn’t have an issue covering the berries!
Why no detox supplements? Just curious. A functional medicine liver detox is a great tool for acne. One of the naturopaths I follow says that acne can be caused by “dirty blood” and the liver detox helps clean it! Also have you ever tried a food sensitivity test? Sounds like you know your body and are pretty on top of things so I am sure you will get to the bottom of this. The liver detox I use is from Equilibrium Nutrition. Good luck!!
i’m just letting it detox naturally!! and yes, i’ve done multiple different types of food sensitivity tests.
Excellent bars Juli! Made a great breakfast 😋! Mine were done about 10 minutes early but my oven does run a bit hot. For those wanting an estimate on the nutrition, I calculated for each of 16 servings at 14g net carbs, 4.5g protein, and 207 calories. YUM!
★★★★★
Ok … I’ve made this twice in the last two weeks. It is SO good … but the first time, not being a baker AT ALL … I took the recipe literally and rolled that crust dough and the crumble dough into balls! Yup — they rolled into balls, no problem. Boy, were they hard to spread!! Couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. The second time, a light bulb went off and I looked at the stuff in the food processor and thought to myself … this would be MUCH easier to spread if it weren’t in a ball! Yup … for both the dough and the crumble … worked MUCH better! Anyway, this is fabulous. In fact, I’m taking the 2nd batch to a dinner party tonight and I NEVER take dessert!!! Thanks, again, Juli. You rock! *Ü*
★★★★★
hahahaha glad the lightbulb went off the second time and you loved the recipe BOTH times!
Great recipe! Makes for a great afternoon snack when craving something sweet. Can’t wait to make it again.
★★★★★
so glad you liked it lisa!
“I really envy the people out there who just seem to live life, eating whatever, going about their day not thinking twice about any of that. Must be nice.”
SAME. I see my roommates, friends, and siblings eat whatever they want and get maybe one pimple a year, meanwhile I’m over here eating kale salads and shunning processed foods and I wake up with new breakouts almost daily. I HEAR YOU and it’s maddening. I turn 31 this month and I’ve had acne since I was 15 and like you, have tried just about everything, and nothing has made it go away completely. The only thing keeping it semi-under control is birth control pills which I wish I didn’t have to take. It’s such an individualized problem and is so frustrating. I’ll be interested to hear the results of your bean protocol. I wholeheartedly agree that acne starts from the inside. I’ve battled hormone imbalances and gut issues since I became a teenager so I really didn’t stand a chance. Been trying to get to the root of those issues for years. The one upside to having to wear masks in public right now is that they cover the breakouts. Ha. I hope you finally get to the bottom of it.
it has been AWESOME! i can’t recommend the bean protocol enough, i’m so surprised by my results in such a short amount of time!
Made this minus the pecans/walnuts and they were SO good. My new-to-paleo husband loved them. Fantastic recipe.
awesome!! so glad to hear you guys loved it!!
For the topping, when you say ghee, do you mean melted or not?
not melted