Ok so here’s the thing. I love a good pie. Especially a good berry pie. But I hate waiting for pies to bake and then cool before I can enjoy them. So when I had some leftover blueberries, I decided to make a simplified version of berry pie; blueberry pie bars.
There’s a quaint mountain town near where I grew up that’s known for their pies. It’s a thing. If you visit the town you HAVE to get at least a slice of pie if not an entire pie. My dad and I would always each get a slice of some kind of berry pie. These pie bars remind me of those youthful days exploring that quaint mountain town.
One of the things I love about this recipe is that the crust dough is the same as the crumbled topping dough. The crust is buttery and filled with goodness. The crust breaks apart nicely with a fork and melts in your mouth. The crumble topping becomes golden during the second bake and adds a crunch to each bite.
The blueberries are the star in these blueberry pie bars. The berries burst and bubble as the bars bake. As the blueberries burst, the arrowroot starch helps the berry juices stick together and create a binder in the filling. The added lemon juice adds brightness to the pie filling without overpowering the blueberries. It also brings out the blueberry flavor.
Allowing the crust and then the blueberry pie bars to cool completely before going to the next step is essential. This is especially true when going to cut into the bars. If the bars aren’t cooled before cutting into them, they can fall apart and create a blueberry mess. If you need the blueberry pie bars to cool quickly, add them to the fridge or freezer to speed the cooling.
The bars will only last a couple of days, but make sure to store them in an airtight container. Like most things, they’re best fresh!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp fine kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup sugar - for the filling
- 1/8 tsp fine kosher salt - for the filling
- 1 1/2 tbsp arrowroot starch - for the filling
- 2 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried - for the filling
- 1 tsp lemon juice - for the filling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
Using a hand whisker, beat together the melted butter, sugars, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it's all mixed together and crumbly.
Take one-third of the mixture and press it into the baking pan. Put the rest of the mixture in the fridge. Bake the crust for roughly 15 minutes or until the crust is barely golden brown. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. While it's cooling, start on the blueberry filling.
Using the same bowl that you mixed the flour in, combine sugar, salt, arrowroot, blueberries, and lemon juice. Mix it all together. Once the crust has cooled, add the blueberry mixture over the crust.
Take the remainder of the 'crust' mixture and sprinkle the crumbles over the blueberry mixture. It's ok if you don't use all of it and leave some of the blueberry mixture uncovered.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until the topping is golden and the blueberries are bubbling. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the blueberry bars to cool completely. Carefully lift the parchment paper out of the pan, making it easier to remove the bake. Using a sharp knife, slice in half and then into bars.
Enjoy!
