Name: Pear and blackberry crumble bars
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 12
Ingredients: 100g unsalted butter chilled and cubed, plus extra for the tin; 1 large ripe pear peeled, cored and roughly chopped into 1cm chunks; 175g fresh blackberries; 1 tbsp runny honey; ½ lemon zested, plus 1 tbsp of juice; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 100g plain wholemeal flour; 50g soft light brown sugar; 30g ground almonds; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground ginger; 50g unsalted butter chilled and cubed; 40g plain wholemeal flour; 30g soft light brown sugar; 60g walnuts roughly chopped; 20g oats; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground ginger

A marble chopping board topped with slices of oaty bars

FILLING

100g unsalted butter
chilled and cubed, plus extra for the tin
1 large ripe pear
peeled, cored and roughly chopped into 1cm chunks
175g fresh blackberries
1 tbsp runny honey
½ lemon
zested, plus 1 tbsp of juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

BASE

100g plain wholemeal flour
50g soft light brown sugar
30g ground almonds
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger

CRUMBLE

50g unsalted butter
chilled and cubed
40g plain wholemeal flour
30g soft light brown sugar
60g walnuts
roughly chopped
20g oats
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger

Method

step 1
Butter and line a 20cm square cake tin.
step 2
Put the pear, blackberries, honey, lemon juice and zest, vanilla extract and 30ml of water in a medium pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes, mashing with a fork every so often, until the pears are soft but still have some shape and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
step 3
For the base, put the 100g of butter, plus the flour, sugar, almonds and spices in a food processor. Pulse until there are no patches of dry ingredients and the mixture has just started to come together. Press the mixture into the base of the tin until you get an even layer. Prick all over with a fork then transfer to the fridge for 15 minutes.
step 4
Meanwhile, make the crumble by putting the butter and flour in the food processor and pulsing briefly until you have a mixture that resembles very rough breadcrumbs. Add the remaining crumble ingredients and pulse until everything is combined but still lumpy – you want there to be some bigger chunks. Chill until needed.
step 5
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Once you have finished chilling the base, bake for 20 minutes then leave to cool for 5 minutes. Spoon the jam over the base, carefully spreading with the back of the spoon, and scatter over the crumble. Return to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until cooked through. Leave to cool completely in the tin until firm, then cut into 12 bars and serve.