That includes a juicy blueberry filling and a buttery, crumbly brown sugar streusel, there’s a lot to like about these blueberry pie bars. The filling and streusel come collectively rapidly, and the crust and crumble topping are constructed from the identical combination, so there’s no must soiled an extra bowl. They’re simple to make, transport, serve, and freeze!
For those who love blueberry crumble pie, however making pie crust from scratch intimidates you, this blueberry pie bar recipe is the reply. You’ll get the identical scrumptious flavors, however with the welcome ease of constructing a single “dough” that turns into each crust and topping—no finicky pie crust chilling, shaping, or latticing in the present day!
These Blueberry Pie Bars Are:
- Faster than many fruit fillings—no pitting, peeling, or chopping!
- Simpler than pie—crust & topping constructed from the identical 1-bowl combination
- Tremendous flavorful, with a jammy blueberry filling between layers of buttery brown sugar oat crust
- An excellent make-ahead dessert
- One other egg-free baking recipe
- Straightforward to move, slice, serve, and freeze!
Seize Your Blueberry Pie Bars Elements
That is every part you want for juicy blueberry bar perfection:
Crust & Topping Made From Similar Combination
This step actually couldn’t be simpler. You want 1 bowl and a spatula (no mixer required!), and also you’ll use this dough for each the crust and the crumble topping.
- All-Goal Flour: Flour is the bottom of the crust/crumble.
- Oats: Be at liberty to make use of both entire rolled oats or fast oats right here. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of oats so as to add to the crumble topping earlier than sprinkling it on prime of the blueberry pie filling.
- Brown Sugar: I really like utilizing brown sugar in a dough/crumble like this, due to the moisture and taste it gives.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder retains the crust/crumble on the lighter aspect. With out it, the feel could be a bit too laborious and dense.
- Salt, Cinnamon, & Lemon Zest: Small quantities however positively vital for flavorful bars. The lemon zest brightens up the blueberry taste, and a contact of cinnamon provides a heat that’s paying homage to selfmade pie, like apple pie.
- Melted Butter: Utilizing melted butter makes this a stir-by-hand combination (identical to these chewy chocolate chip cookies!). It binds the components collectively and gives probably the most scrumptious buttery taste. Y-U-M.
Stir every part collectively till it’s fashioned giant crumbles, with no visibly dry elements. Reserve about 1/3 of this combination to make use of because the crumble topping, and press the remaining 2/3 right into a 9-inch-square baking pan lined with parchment paper (which makes the bars simple to carry out and slice).
Success Tip: Right here’s a neat technique to line square baking pans.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, to present it a head-start earlier than you prime it with the filling. Whereas the crust bakes, make the filling.
Blueberry Pie Bar Filling
Seize these 4 components:
- Blueberries: You want about 4 and 1/2 cups of contemporary blueberries. If utilizing contemporary, give them a rinse. If you wish to use frozen, count on a juicier filling. No must thaw.
- Granulated Sugar: Simply sufficient to sweeten the berry filling.
- Cornstarch: That is the thickening agent that works to set the filling and make these blueberry pie bars completely sliceable. It’s important in basic blueberry pie and cobbler, too.
- Lemon: Zest it first, after which juice it—you want each zest and juice within the filling. The contemporary lemon brightens up the flavour. With out it, the blueberry filling tastes a bit… meh. (And we don’t have time for meh desserts!)
Stir many of the components collectively on the range for only a couple minutes, to start dissolving the sugar and cornstarch. Prepare dinner and stir solely till the berries are coated and look evenly moist. This doesn’t take lengthy—we’re not going for blueberry sauce right here! After you are taking it off the warmth, stir within the lemon zest.
Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust. Stir an extra 2 Tablespoons of oats into the remaining crumble combination, to present it a bit further quantity. Then sprinkle the topping everywhere in the blueberry filling.
Now comes the toughest a part of this recipe: the ready. The bars must bake for 45–55 minutes, after which cool utterly earlier than you may slice them. I do know, I’m sorry!
One silver lining: this can be a nice make-ahead recipe!
Easy methods to Minimize Neat Squares
Cool baked bars utterly, identical to you’ll let a pie cool utterly. For those who minimize the bars into squares whereas they’re nonetheless heat, they’ll utterly crumble. If I’m serving these at a celebration or occasion, I put together them the night time earlier than simply so I do know they’ll cool lengthy sufficient to yield neat squares.
Elevate the bars out of the pan utilizing the perimeters of the parchment paper lining and place the entire thing on a reducing board. Slice squares with a pointy knife and wipe the knife clear between every minimize.
Serving Blueberry Pie Bars
I really like the hand held nature of dessert bars, however keep in mind, these are blueberry pie bars. They’re gooey, juicy, crumbly, and a bit messy. So I do suggest a fork and plate… or at the very least a plate and a serviette. Until you’re keen to danger purple-stained fingers and clothes! *Sally’s Baking Recipes isn’t responsible for blueberry stains.*
These bars are scrumptious served chilly or room temperature, or heat one up and prime with vanilla ice cream for an à la mode expertise! You can even prime them with whipped cream, or a drizzle of lemon glaze from this recipe for lemon strawberry crumb bars.
Extra Fruit Bar Recipes
Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 50 minutes
Whole Time: 4 hours, quarter-hour (contains cooling)
Yield: 16 bars
Class: Bars
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
That is blueberry pie with out the effort of constructing a selfmade pie crust! To arrange these simple blueberry pie bars, layer a buttery brown sugar crust, jammy blueberry filling, and a crumbly oat topping. The crust and crumble topping are constructed from the identical combination, so there’s no must soiled an extra bowl. Cool utterly earlier than reducing.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9-inch sq. baking pan (I really like this one and this one) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the edges to simply carry the bars out of the pan. Put aside.
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, 1 cup (85g) oats, brown sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt collectively in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter and stir till the combination resembles moist crumbly sand and no dry spots stay. You should have a bit greater than 3 cups of crust combination, or about 520g. Press 2/3 of the combination (about 2 cups/345g—doesn’t need to be precise) into the ready baking pan. Press it into the pan along with your arms, a big spoon or spatula, or the underside of a measuring cup to type a crust. Bake for 10 minutes, after which take away from the oven to barely cool.
- Make the filling: Place the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium warmth on the range and stir gently to mix. Prepare dinner and stir for two–3 minutes till the cornstarch and sugar start to dissolve and the berries look evenly moist. Take away from warmth and stir within the lemon zest.
- Pour/unfold the filling over the nice and cozy crust. Stir 2 Tablespoons oats into the remaining crumble combination, then sprinkle it everywhere in the filling, and flippantly press it down with the again of a big spoon or flat spatula.
- Bake for about 45–55 minutes, or till the highest is flippantly browned and the blueberry filling is effervescent across the edges.
- Take away from the oven and permit the bars to chill utterly within the pan set on a wire rack. Be at liberty to cowl and refrigerate the cooled bars for as much as 1 day earlier than reducing into squares.
- Elevate the cooled bars out of the pan utilizing the overhang on the edges and minimize into squares.
- Cowl and retailer leftover blueberry pie bars at room temperature for as much as 2 days or within the fridge for as much as 1 week.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: You possibly can refrigerate the cooled bars earlier than reducing into squares, see step 6. Baked and cooled bars freeze nicely as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge and convey to room temperature, if desired, earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 9-Inch Square Baking Pan or this 9-Inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer
- Can I Bake This in a 9×13-inch Pan? You possibly can, however I’ve had higher outcomes baking a smaller batch, as written, within the 9-inch pan. If you wish to make a bigger batch, double every ingredient (solely use 8 cups of blueberries) and bake in a 9×13-inch pan. Enhance crust pre-bake time to 18 minutes. Enhance the bake time after including the filling & crumble topping to 1 hour, or till filling is effervescent.
- Contemporary Blueberries: It’s greatest to make use of contemporary blueberries on this recipe. For those who’d like to make use of frozen, comply with the recipe as written and sub in frozen blueberries (don’t thaw). Needless to say the filling will probably be a lot juicier.
- Replace in 2023: This recipe used to name for 3 cups (about 525g) of blueberries within the filling, and 1 peeled and sliced apple. To make the blueberry apple model, comply with the recipe directions above by means of step 3. After spreading blueberry filling onto the nice and cozy crust in step 4, prime evenly with sliced apple, after which sprinkle remaining crumble combination on prime. Proceed with the recipe as written.
- In search of a vegan and gluten-free model? Strive my wholesome berry streusel bars.
Key phrases: blueberry pie bars