Blueberry Pie Bars

Monday, August 12, 2013

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

Bars and Brownies, Dessert, Go-To Recipes

14 comments »

23 Responses to “Banana Split Cupcake”

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1

stephchows — September 15, 2009 at 12:47 pm

Great cupcake hero entry!!! yum!
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2

oneordinaryday — September 15, 2009 at 2:04 pm

You’re right – it’s a freaking cute cupcake! I especially love that frosting and how you got it to look like a scoop of ice cream. Nicely done!
This is my first CH and I can’t wait till the voting begins! : )
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3

Amanda — September 15, 2009 at 2:49 pm

Wow, what a yummy looking cupcake! Great idea!
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4

oneparticularkitchen — September 15, 2009 at 4:14 pm

This is ADORABLE!! I love it!
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5

Xiaolu — September 15, 2009 at 5:08 pm

Gorgeous cupcake, Jen! I love how the cherry stands out. How do you get that black background if you don’t mind me asking? I’m pretty new to this food photography thing 8)
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6

Amy Kingman — September 15, 2009 at 5:41 pm

Yummmm!!!!!
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7

Jen — September 15, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Xiaolu – It’s actually just my black table. I’ve also had luck using a plain black piece of construction paper (most of my backgrounds are the 12×12 scrap-booking papers) or a black towel to get the background all black.

Here is an example using paper, and one using a towel.
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Xiaolu — September 15, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Thanks! That’s really helpful.
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Joanna — September 15, 2009 at 8:28 pm

Yum! Great idea 🙂
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10

Stephanie Wagner — September 15, 2009 at 10:44 pm

Awesome idea!
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11

bcallegra — September 16, 2009 at 2:04 am

Very creative and it looks great!
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12

The Novice Chef — September 16, 2009 at 3:15 am

What a cute idea! I love it!! And I know my nieces would be in love!
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13

nutmegnanny — September 16, 2009 at 3:33 am

Great idea…they look delicious!
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14

jesstyler — September 16, 2009 at 4:08 am

holy deliciousness! I NEED one of those! 🙂
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15

Kerstin — September 16, 2009 at 4:48 am

How creative, I love them! So cute and tasty with that cherry on top!
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16

Ingrid — September 16, 2009 at 3:14 pm

Very cute looking! I like your idea.
~ingrid
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17

lifeoftheparty — September 16, 2009 at 7:25 pm

These cupcakes are pure genius… you’ve definitely got my vote!
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18

Jigginjessica — September 17, 2009 at 12:34 am

Cute idea! What a great entry!
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19

thegreatpantryraid — September 17, 2009 at 7:37 pm

Wow – super cute! A lot of work, I’m sure, but such a big payoff! Great job!
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20

Kami — September 17, 2009 at 8:32 pm

So stinkin’ cute!
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21

Caroline — September 19, 2009 at 6:23 am

Very cute, indeed and loving the pineapple in the frosting. I can just imagine how delicious this would taste. What a great idea.
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22

Keiara Wells — September 19, 2009 at 5:57 pm

MMM, it looks fantastic! I’ll have to try this one 🙂 xox
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23

Sweet and Savory — October 15, 2009 at 5:55 am

These cupcakes are precious besides, I am sure, being delicious. What a great idea.

Blueberry Pie Bars