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Blueberry Pie Bars
Samantha Seneviratne
2018 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,018
About 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling
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Prepare crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, combine shortbread cookies, sugar, flour and salt and blend until you have fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a medium mixing bowl. Add butter and mix with a fork until crumbs are evenly moistened. Tip crumbs into a standard 9-inch pie plate and press them in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the plate. Bake until golden brown and set, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Prepare filling: Cut each of the strawberries in quarters or eighths, if they are large. Transfer 2 cups berries to a small saucepan and crush completely with a potato masher. Set aside the remaining berries in a large bowl. Add the sugar, preserves, cornstarch, 1 tablespoon water and salt to the saucepan.
Bring strawberry mixture to a boil over medium heat and then cook it an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add strawberry mixture and lemon juice to the strawberries in the bowl and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared crust and gently tap it down into an even layer. Transfer to the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.
Just before serving, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, if using, to soft peaks. Top pie with whipped cream.
There is a recipe for a pie very similar to this in the old Fannie Farmer Baking Book. It calls for a regular pie crust made with butter (blind baked). About 3 cups of fresh strawberries crushed and cooked with 3T cornstarch, a cup of sugar and a T. Lemon juice. Cooked until thick and cooled. Then mixed with about 3 cups of fresh, sliced strawberries. No strawberry preserves. Serve with whipped cream. I have also made this with blueberries. You cannot go wrong. It is easy and so delicious.
This is similar to the strawberry pie we’ve always made, but the addition of salt and acid (lemon juice) deepened and balanced the flavor. One change that protects against a soggy crust (if it miraculously doesn’t get eaten the first day) is to spread 4oz of softened cream cheese on the crust before the filling. It works with regular pie crust too. Fresh. Rich. Perfect.
I’ve made this with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and fresh peaches. I just changed the jam to match the fruit.
Plan to make this tomorrow. I know it will be wonderful because the filling is the same recipe I use for our favorite 5 star blueberry pie. With blueberries, they don’t need mashing or jam, but I do add 1 T of butter at the end with the lemon juice.
I followed the recipe exactly as written and thought the result was tremendous. Perfectly balanced, bright and intense fruit flavor, delicious and easy crust. Don't skip the lemon juice as it adds some needed acid to keep this from being cloyingly sweet. There is a lot of filling here for a 9" pie pan, but I liked how it sat up high like a diner's dessert display. This one is a keeper: easy to pull off, visually appealing and really tasty.
(cont’d) For those who don’t want cream cheese in their pie, a light painting of the inside of the unbaked crust with lightly beaten egg white, allowed to dry, has always kept any filling I’ve made from soaking into the crust.
Loved this! Have made it 3 times in one month. The second time I made it, I left the sugar out of the crust. Also, since my strawberries were very sweet already, I only used 1/8 cup of sugar in the filling to let the flavour of the strawberries shine through.
Looking at options for the shortbread crust I first looked at making homemade cookies as a cost-saving option, as the cookies for the crust might cost up to $10 at the grocery. Then it hit me - Pecan Sandies, i.e., shortbread cookies with the bonus of pecan bits. A more than adequate package of great store-brand cookies ran less than $2 at ALDI. The result was fantastic!
Is it necessary to put additional sugar in a crust that is made from cookies?
One of the best pies ever! I used these suggestions: 1. Per Susan--I omitted the strawberry jam and used 2+ cups of strawberries, 1 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 Tbsp lemon juice (more to taste), zest of 1/2 lemon. Use your less ripe strawberries here. Cook as recipe directs, cool before adding fresh cut strawberries (4 cups used). 2. Per Laurikay--spread 4 oz cream cheese on the bottom of the cooled piecrust (used reg. crust) before filling--YUM! Use standard 9" pie pan--not deep dish.
As long as you chill it the requisite amount of time, it is nice and firm. Easy to make the day before. I had no problem with a soggy crust. Make sure you bake the crust long enough, and that it is cool before you add the filling (I stuck it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so).
This is similar to the strawberry and blueberry pies from a favorite restaurant, now closed (we hope not forever) by the pandemic. Their secret is a very thin layer of sweetened cream cheese applied to the bottom of the crust before adding the berries. It helps as a moisture barrier as well as adding a welcome tang and richness.
This is such an easy and delicious dessert. I used Lorna Doone cookies and the crust was great. Quality of strawberries makes or breaks this pie. Fortunately local strawberries are plentiful right now.
I made this and I really loved the shortbread crust... otherwise, I know it's sacrilegious , but fresh berries folded into almost cool strawberry jello, replace the water the jello with lemon lime soda, add two teaspoons of cornstarch and into the fridge overnight, top with whipped cream and nothing tastes fresher or better....and you can make it sugar free and gluten free pie crusts work just fine....... haters hold back your comment, I know it will be hard to do. Peace Out
I made this pie for weekend visitors, with no changes other than to add some grated lemon zest to the boiling strawberries, to rave reviews. A few smaller strawberries can be left whole and upright to make the appearance a little prettier if serving the whipped cream on the side. It’s an easy dessert for early summer when strawberries are delicious and plentiful.
I've made this recipe 3 x this summer (even better than my mom's old recipe). I like the addition of the preserves (had marmalade on hand and used that) and that you toss the sliced berries with the sauce. I used the simplyrecipes.com recipe & method for a blind baked pate brisee crust. I usually serve this with whipped cream but today I made Dorie Greenspan's Creme Anglais (this site). Delish!
Suggestions on how to adapt this recipe for peaches instead of strawberries?
Made this again and made my own crust. It’s superior to anything store bought. I’ve been wrong this whole time! Haha Field strawberries are clearly superior to store-bought but it was still incredible. This time I mixed Nutella into a couple ounces of cream cheese to spread on the bottom. I’m into the idea of working balsamic into the strawberry mix. Or maybe some fresh basil. I love how much you can customize this recipe.
Yummy! But be warned- I would stay away from very buttery shortbread. The crust I made turned out to be very liquidy and all slid to the bottom of the pie pan. Still tasty but a bit overwhelming. The cream cheese is a great recommendation! It is a refreshing bite that was a good contrast to the hefty crust.
Just wondering why add the preserves at all? Does it help the quick jam set?
This pie turned out spectacular for me. I used a store bought shortbread crust because I hate crust making (I know. I know). Otherwise I followed the recipe for the filling to a T and it was so delicately sweet and fresh. I did use the cream cheese on the bottom of the pie trick. About 3oz cream cheese whipped with a couple tablespoons of confectionery sugar and a tsp of vanilla. It was more like a cheesecake base. My family ate the entire pie in one evening.
I honestly don't know how there could be a more perfect pie! Delicious!
I could t find the strawberry in the fridge so used raspberry preserves instead, delightfully surprised that it added a bit of tang to the pie that was very welcomed.
Don’t add the fresh strawberries until the cooked berries are cooled down
Wonderful! A perfect summer dessert! Easy to make in advance too. I subbed out half the shortbread cookies with Meyer Lemon cookes and the crust was heavenly! Also tossed in some leftover blueberries and raspberries just to use them up. The pie got rave reviews!
I used my standard strawberry pie recipe that doesn't call for jam but I decided to try the shortbread crust. My cookies came in an 8 oz package so I weighed them to get 11 1/2 oz. The crust was a failure. There was not enough moisture and so it was a very crumbly crust. A pie book had the same amount of butter for half the crumb weight.
So good, made it twice this week!
I just got some of the best strawberries ever from a local farm and wanted to do something that my mom could eat so used a gluten-free crust. This was the best fresh strawberry pie that I have ever had!
This is the one. Fresh summer strawberries folded into a perfectly gelled, but not thoroughly gelatinized filling. Made with graham cracker crust and a thin layer of cream cheese (4 oz) whipped with whipping cream (1/4 c).
I had some leftover pastry cream in the fridge and spread a layer on the crust before adding the strawberries. Took it to a whole different level.
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