![Blueberry Pie Bars](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/08/16/dining/seneviratne-blueberry-pie-bars-horizontal/seneviratne-blueberry-pie-bars-horizontal-mediumThreeByTwo440.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Blueberry Pie Bars
Samantha Seneviratne
2016 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,016
About 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
Advertisement
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Prepare the topping: Zest the lemon directly over the sugar in a medium bowl and mix with a fork. (Save the zested lemon for the filling.) Mix in the flour, almonds and salt.
The cooled melted butter has likely separated, so stir it until evenly pale yellow, then drizzle over the dry ingredients. Stir lightly and quickly until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbles with gravelly bits; don’t overmix. Refrigerate until ready to use. The topping can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Make the filling: Whisk the sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl to break up starchy clumps. Add the blueberries and squeeze in 1 tablespoon lemon juice from the reserved zested lemon. Toss until evenly coated, then scrape into a 1½- to 2-quart casserole (such as a 9-inch square dish or deep-dish pie plate).
Spread the berry filling in an even layer, then cover with the topping, leaving no gaps. Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips.
Bake until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling like lava, 40 to 45 minutes. You don’t want to burn your mouth eating the crisp hot, so let it cool for at least 15 minutes and preferably an hour or so because the filling firms up as it cools. It can be served warm or at room temperature, ideally with ice cream.
2 1/2 Pounds of blueberries? Or 2 1/2 pints?
My experience with defrosting frozen berries is that a lot of juice/water ends up in the mix. With pies/tarts, I generally use the standard method to give some "body" to the liquid (I don't like 'runny' berry pies). Take some of the berries and all of the juice water and put it in a sauce pan with some sugar and bring to a simmer. Take some of the corn starch, mix it in cold water, and then add it to the berry/sugar mix. Return to a simmer, stirring constantly and simmer until clear ~5 mins.
I understand your irritation, but now that I've had a kitchen scale for a couple years I seldom use measuring cups at all. A scale is a cheap investment and makes cooking and baking far more consistent.
2 and a quarter pounds will be approximately 3 pints -- weight is a more accurate measure b/c blueberry sizes vary so much
Is it too much to ask to put things like blueberries into cups, as well as pounds. Not everyone has a kitchen scale. I'm speaking to those who set the guidelines for recipes. This is not the only recipe that has neglected to do so. And it's getting tiresome.
It's late July and I'm in Portland Oregon so, I'm definitely making this with freshly picked blackberries!
What pan size is best?
The blueberry crisp was amazing! I used frozen blueberries that I didn’t defrost and everything turned out well. This was super simple to make and very worth it. I would absolutely recommend this recipe
Excellent. Followed the recipe exactly, was really perfect. Served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - was a crowd pleaser. I will make this again and highly recommend.
Fruits have natural sugars and actually don't require cane sugar to be sweet when cooked. If you substitute pears for cane sugar you'll be surprised by how sweet it is. The topping can also be sweetened with dates or maple syrup which requires a fraction of the amount to provide all the sweetness you could want. Americans are literally dying from the amount of sugars consumed. Would be wonderful to see more alternatives in recipes.
This was amazing. I used whole almonds that I smashed into bits with a mallet for a bit of crunchiness — made the topping delicious. As per other comments, yes, the topping was hard when I took it out of the fridge but I just nuked it for 30 seconds and it softened enough to work with but retained its crumbliness. I too made one and a half times the topping to cover my Blueberries. I baked it in a 2 qt cast iron gratin pan and used closer to 3 lb of blueberries to accommodate my pan size.
I found this to be WAY too sweet. Next time I'll cut the sugar by 1/4 or even 1/2.
This was absolutely delicious. It was 2-2/14 lbs, which came out to about three pints in the grocery store. It was so easy, and I appreciate not having to take out my big heavy mixer! The only suggestion I might have made is to add another half batch of the topping, because the topping did not quite cover the top of my 9x9 pan. The topping was yummy and added that night bit of crunch and richness. But you don't have to. It was great in its original form.
Halved this and cooked it on the grill in a cast iron skillet. It turned out perfectly!
Always freeze washed and dried summer berries in. iplocs for baking later. Just oss the frozen berries with a very small spoonful of cornstarch.
Very good, quick, add almonds last
Great recipe! I used 2 lbs of blueberries and a standard 9 inch pie dish. Hardly any spill over at all. I prepared the topping a day before and made the blueberry filling right before I put the topping on & put in the oven. I wish I had broken the topping into small chunks before I put it in the fridge, just a bit tough to break into smaller pieces after it’s cold! Overall really enjoyed making this.
Made this with all my over ripe fruit and blueberries. I just buy too much fruit at the summer farmer's market! Otherwise followed the recipe using 2 1/4 lb. fruit. It's a keeper!
With 2 pints of fresh blueberries from our local farm, I wanted to make a crisp that wasn’t fussy. I had limited ingredients and this was perfect. I used a dash less sugar and didn’t bother with cornstarch. We are GF so I subbed with KA measure for measure. I otherwise followed as directed. Refrigerating the topping before baking gave the flour time to absorb the moisture. Baking took less time than called for. Served with vanilla ice cream and the teen boys I was hosting had 2nds and 3rds!
My oats-allergic guy loved the topping--crispy, buttery and satisfying--we didn't miss the usual oat crumble topping. I made it exactly as described and it was perfect! Not too sweet for our tastes and berries.
Fantastic! And so easy - will definitely make again.
Really, really good. Even though mine was runny (but every blueberry pie I ever made was runny), the flavor was excellent! I'm not an almond fan so chopped up some raw pistachios instead. Next time I might add a little cardamom, would complement it perfectly.
This was very good. I would prefer more of the crisp topping. I also added a little cardamom.
We do a lot of crisps, pies, cobblers, crumbles over here. This might be my favorite for summer. We will save the oats for September. Make it!
Delicious! Made as directed, with a bit less sugar per others’ comments. Used an 18 Oz package of fresh blueberries that I I’d frozen before a trip. Did not defrost. Used finely chopped almonds I had from another recipe. Baked in a 8x8 Corning baking dish. If you like blueberry pie, this is quicker and easier; the lemon shines through and is delightful!
Has anyone tried to make this dairy free? Maybe substitute coconut oil for butter?
This was really delicious and easy to whip up on a moment's notice. Particularly loved the streusel. Highly recommend. We've made this half a dozen times. Yum!
I used regular sprouted rolled oats. It was not nice at all.
This is my go to recipe and it always turns out terrifically -- a true crowd pleasurer. And, hey, I'm a blueberry farmer so I know a good crisp when I taste one (or maybe it was just that our blueberries are so fantastic?). NO THAWING the blueberries -- just pop them right in the oven with the sugar and corn starch and lemon frozen and they'll do their "lava" thing in 45 mins. Thank you Genevieve! This should be a five star!
Has anyone made this topping with apples instead of blueberries?
Advertisement