13 Jun Spiced Plum Crumble Bars

Juicy, ripe plums are right up there with my favourite fruits. These Spiced Plum Crumble Bars make excellent use of them!

A shortbread base and crisp, buttery crumble topping encase the sweet plums, which actually reduce and become jammy in texture during baking. So delish! Adding a touch of spice really brings out the autumn flavour of this bake.

Ingredients:

For the base:
150g butter, softened
75g castor sugar
5ml vanilla extract
225g flour
pinch of salt

For the plum layer:
7-8 medium plums
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornflour

For the crumble topping:
240g butter, cold
180g castor sugar
340g flour
pinch of salt

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 20 x 30cm baking dish.
• Make the base by creaming together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.Add the flour and mix until just combined (it will still be crumbly).
• Press the base mixture into the tin and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
• Next, make the crumble topping.  Stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Use yours fingers to rub in the butter until you have a crumbly texture. Alternatively, use a food processor for this step. Set aside.
• Just before baking, stone and roughly chop the plums. Stir in the spices, sugar and cornflour, then spoon over the cooled shortbread base as evenly as possible.
• Sprinkle over the crumble topping, then bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the topping is golden.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes before slicing.  The bars can be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container but they do tend to lose their crispness. Reheat in a 200°C oven for a few minutes before serving.