Plum Ginger Crumb Bars

I hope you all had a very happy 4th of July this past week. My family decided to get together at my sister’s house and let the kids have a bit of water play while my brother and brother-in-law grilled up some carne asada and chicken. As always, whenever the family gets together, we’re all assigned a dish to bring. Usually they designate me with the dessert. So odd, I know. Of course, this time was no different.

I was planning on making something that reflected the holiday with a mixture of red, white, and blue, but I noticed that we had a decent amount of plums in the house from our delivery from Daily Harvest Express. So, I decided to make something with them instead. Since we were grilling, I wanted a dessert that would be easy to eat but not too rich. These plum ginger crumb bars totally fit the bill.

They’re kind of like a plum crisp, but with a solid crust on the bottom. The lemon juice and ginger mix well with the plums giving them a bit of tartness with the sweet and a small bite that makes them stand out just a bit more. They’re an easy dessert to serve with next to no clean up. Just cut and serve. Perfect for that potluck or barbecue.

PLUM GINGER CRUMB BARS

Makes: 16 Bars

INGREDIENTS:

For the Filling:

5 – 6 plums (about 1 lb), sliced

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon juice

For the dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

12 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper. To make the filling, combine the plums, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix gently until well combined.
To make the dough, combine the flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a medium mixing bowl and stir to blend. Add in the butter pieces and cut into the dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal (I did this in my food processor in short bursts and I found it to be a bit quicker for me). Add in the egg yolk and vanilla and stir with a fork or knead very briefly just until a crumbly dough comes together.
Transfer about two thirds of the dough mixture to the prepared baking pan and press down into an even layer. Bake until light golden, about 10 minutes.
Once the base layer is baked, spread the plum mixture over the top in an even layer. Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the plum layer. Bake about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before slicing and serving.