Blueberry Pie Bars - Sugar and Spice

This recipe for berry pie bars is a winner! Sweet with a subtle hint of cinnamon and a deliciously flaky crust. These bars are perfect for a picnic, office potluck or for dessert at home. The recipe comes from The Novice Chef blog. These bars came together in no time and didn’t bubble over onto my oven floor (yay!). I am already planning to bake a second batch for later this week. ☺

Blueberry Pie Bars

Adapted slightly from The Novice Chef

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

zest & juice of one lemon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter cut into 1 inch slices

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups fresh blueberries (or blackberries)

4 tsp cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degres. Grease a 9×13 pan. In a food processor, pulse together flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Add the butter, egg and vanilla extract. Pulse until the dough is crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan, saving the remaining dough for the topping.

In a medium size bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the berries. Sprinkle the berries over the crust. Crumble the remaining topping dough over the berry layer.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 35 to 45 minutes (depending on your oven) or until the top is slightly brown. You are only looking for the top to slightly brown. If you cook for too long, the bottom will burn.

Cool completely before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.