blueberry pie bars
juicy blueberry lemon filling sandwiched between crumbly brown sugar streusel crust and topping
baked in May 2023
yield: 24 bars
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 1 hour 18 minutes
difficulty level: easy
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 cups + 1/4 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, divided
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (2 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 8 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest
Directions
For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a 9x13-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, 2 cup oats, brown sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Add the melted butter and stir until the mixture resembles moist crumbly sand and no dry spots remain. You will have a little more than 6 cups of crust mixture.
- Press 2/3 of the mixture (about 4 cups-doesn’t have to be exact) into the prepared baking pan.
- Press it into the pan with your hands, a large spoon or spatula, or the bottom of a measuring cup to form a crust.
- Bake for 18 minutes, and then remove from the oven to slightly cool.
For the filling:
- Place the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat on the stove and stir gently to combine.
- Cook and stir for 2–3 minutes until the cornstarch and sugar begin to dissolve and the berries look evenly wet.
- Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest.
- Pour/spread the filling over the warm crust.
For the topping:
- Stir 1/4 cup oats into the remaining crumble mixture, then sprinkle it all over the filling, and lightly press it down with the back of a large spoon or flat spatula.
- Bake for about 45–55 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the blueberry filling is bubbling around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack. Feel free to cover and refrigerate the cooled bars for up to 1 day before cutting into squares.
- Lift the cooled bars out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares.
- Cover and store leftover blueberry pie bars at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
- Total calories: 6,421
- Calories per bar: 268
