When I spot an unusual or fresh ingredient, especially fruit, I like to buy it and then figure out how to use it in a bake or dessert. The trouble is I often take too long to decide — and then even longer to act — so the fruit sometimes goes bad. Not its fault; it’s mine. This habit applies to baking and life in general.
Good blueberries were uncommon here until recently, and affordable, high-quality blueberries even more so. I managed to get a pack and immediately dove into Pinterest, Google and Foodgawker looking for ideas. It’s surprising how many blueberry recipes are muffins (I made those), lemon-and-blueberry cakes (made those too) and pies. I wasn’t in the mood for a pie, and then I found these blueberry bars — a perfect option.
These bars were a winner — that’s why they’re on the blog. They have a few steps and aren’t as straightforward as brownies or blondies. You’ll make a quick jammy blueberry filling and an optional lemon or lime glaze for the top. The glaze takes only a few minutes and I highly recommend it — it brightens the flavor.
If you’re wondering where my glaze went: I made it quite lemony and thin, so it seeped into the cracks and crevices of the bars rather than sitting on top.
If you want a smaller batch, you can scale the recipe down like I did for other small-batch bars.
Blueberry bars
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 112 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 150 grams or 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 190 grams or 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- blueberry filling see below
For the blueberry filling:
- 100 grams or 3/4 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
- 50 grams or 1/4 cup sugar
- 60 ml or 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tsp lemon or lime juice
For the lemon/lime glaze (optional):
- 50 grams or 1/2 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 10 grams or about 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature or melted
Instructions
To make the blueberry filling:
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In a saucepan combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon or lime juice and 2 tablespoons of the water.
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Over medium heat, warm until the sugar melts and the berries begin to break down and become soft. Taste and adjust sugar or citrus if needed.
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Mix the cornflour with the remaining 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl to form a slurry.
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Reduce heat to low, whisk in the cornflour slurry and cook 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the filling thickens.
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Remember the filling will firm up more as it cools.
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Remove from the heat and cool completely before using in the bars.
To make the blueberry bars:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan and optionally line the bottom with parchment paper.
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Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
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Beat the butter and sugar together until light, fluffy and creamy.
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Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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Stir in the vanilla.
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Add the flour mixture and mix until the batter just comes together.
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Spread about half the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
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Spoon the cooled blueberry filling over the batter.
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Top with the remaining batter, either spread gently or dropped in clumps — it will even out as it bakes.
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Bake at 180°C/350°F for 42–45 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
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Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
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If using, whisk the sifted icing sugar, butter and lemon or lime juice until smooth to make the glaze.
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Carefully remove the slab from the pan and place it right-side up on the cooling rack.
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While still warm, spoon or pipe the glaze over the top. A thinner glaze will sink into the bars; a thicker glaze will remain on the surface.
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Let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
This recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
For a small batch, halve the ingredients and bake in a loaf pan for 32–35 minutes.
Don’t stress about perfectly evening out the batter layers — the texture is forgiving and it won’t affect the finished bars.
Use fresh or frozen blueberries, or substitute canned blueberry pie filling or another fruit filling if preferred.
If you add more lemon juice to the glaze for extra tang, you may need additional icing sugar to thicken it. Adjust until you reach the desired consistency.
My measuring cup is 240 ml.
These blueberry bars are delicious: more cake-like than chewy with a few crisp edges. The filling turns jammy and the lemon or lime in both the filling and glaze provides bright citrus notes. If you can get hold of good berries, these are definitely worth trying.
