Blueberry Pie Bars
Note to self – freeze some blueberries ASAP while they’re in season and bursting with flavor. That way I can bake up some delicious blueberry treats in the dead of winter when summer feels like an eternity away.
Or just continue to use the summer’s bounty to make treats like these blueberry pie bars while summer is still here… We went to dinner at a friend’s house late last week and I was in charge of bringing dessert. Since I would have to take this treat to work, then let it sit in my car through a work happy hour, I needed something portable and sturdy. And since my work week last week was insane, I needed something easy.
I looked back through my archives and decided to do something I rarely do. I remade a recipe. *gasp* I know. Food blogger fail. But I did swap out the sour cream for greek yogurt (a substitution I always make these days), decreased the sugar a bit since I was using super ripe produce, cut the recipe in half, and increased the baking time quite a bit.
I remembered the last time I made these bars, they were a bit underbaked in the middle which is a big part of why I cut the recipe in half. That and the fact that there would only be 6 of us at dinner. The result of increasing the baking time yielded an almost caramelized crust and a more firm filling without burning. I also cut these bars fairly large this time, in to just 9 bars. Everyone enjoyed the near-pie-slice-sized pieces, which were served with some freshly whipped cream.
One Year Ago: Europe Trip Recap – Munich, Germany
Two Years Ago: Blueberry Cobbler Bars
Three Years Ago: Blueberry Rhubarb Pie and Homemade Hamburger Buns
Four Years Ago: Strawberry Rhubarb Bars and Vanilla Peach Bourbon Jam
Blueberry Pie Bars
All the flavor of a blueberry pie, but much more portable and easier to make
Yield: 9 large or 16 smaller bars
Ingredients:
Crust and Topping
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
pinch salt
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, chilled
Fruit Filling
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
6 Tbsp flour
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
~3.5 cups fresh blueberries
Directions:
To make the crust and topping, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8x8 inch baking pan.
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and add to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly.
Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture to use as the topping. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan, and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool for at least 10 minutes.
To make the filling, whisk the egg in a large bowl, then add the sugar, yogurt, flour, salt, and vanilla. Gently fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling, and bake 60-75 minutes until the top is starting to brown.
Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars, or scoop out of the pan to serve cobbler-style.
Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I’m with you–every ingredient in this salad is a winner on it’s own. Together? Forgetaboutit! The colors are beautiful and I can imagine how great it tastes with the balance of bitter, sweet, and tart.
Love the new layout, also. Way to go!
Yum! I am also addicted to kale since doing a CSA here in Boston 🙂
It’s so funny, because as I was scrolling through Tastespotting tonight and saw this post, I had to click because it looked so familiar to my winter couscous bowl… and then, I couldn’t believe it when I saw my blog credited at the bottom! This is a first for me 🙂 Thanks so much for the credit!
So you’ve recently moved back to Cincinnati? Which part? My family and I live in Anderson Township.
beantownbaker — January 13th, 2013 @ 10:02 am
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
We work in West Chester and are living in Oakley right now. Trying to find a house at some point…
I think this sounds amazing, Jen! And I love how colorful it is. I am always looking for new winter salads that are colorful, flavorful, and interesting.
beantownbaker — January 13th, 2013 @ 10:06 pm
This is definitely colorful, flavorful, and interesting. I have seriously been OBSESSED with pomegranates this winter, and this salad totally feeds into that obsession.
I’m on a major quinoa AND kale kick so this salad is right up my alley. So colorful and pretty, too!
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:47 pm
Pretty food is definitely always tastier than ugly food 🙂
looks a lot like the one i posted last week 🙂 obviously, i’m all over it!!
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:48 pm
Very similar indeed!
This is perfect for that kale and pomegranate I have in the fridge! I’m always excited to find new things to put together ahead of time for lunches and dinners, thanks! Hope you are settling in nicely 🙂
beantownbaker — January 14th, 2013 @ 3:49 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Making food ahead of time saves the day during the week! I can’t imagine not eating leftovers… Things are going pretty well for us in Ohio so far. Hope things are going well for you and your little bundle on the way!
Sounds great to me! I love the ingredients. And the colors 🙂
This sounds right up my alley! YUM!!
I was thinking about an easy and colorful, flavorful, and power-packed healthy side dish to bring for a potluck lunch after a trail work party this coming weekend. I had these amazing cute pumpkins to harvest from my garden and love both kale and quinoa. I thought to myself, mmmm, what if I made some kind of pumpkin kale quinoa and goat cheese salad to share? One quick internet search and I came across this gem! I modified and concocted a tad, which is normal for me. Thanks so much for the recipe and ingredient confirmations! The honey, olive oil, and smokey / spicy combo was the secret ingredient for me! Happy fooding!
beantownbaker — November 3rd, 2013 @ 12:35 pm
Glad you enjoyed it! I am always tweaking recipes to make them fit what I have on hand and what we like too.