Smooth and velvety blueberry filling baked on top of a thick and irresistibly buttery shortbread crust!
Everyone loves a good lemon bar. With their delightfully tart and tangy filling and buttery shortbread crust, they’re the perfect little treat to welcome the bright and sunny days of summer.
With that being said, blueberry season is upon us, and I can’t think of a more perfect berry to incorporate into the iconic lemon bar than blueberries…
Why You’ll Love These Blueberry Bars
A Blueberrylicious Version of a Classic: These bars give your classic lemon bar a stunning blueberry makeover. It still has the same great shortbread crust, however instead of tart lemon filling, you have smooth and creamy blueberry filling.
Perfect Balance of Flavors: The blueberry filling is kissed with just the right amount of tangy lemon citrus to contrast with the berry sweetness. Moreover, the shortbread crust is buttery, slightly sweet and lemony thanks to a little lemon zest.
Simple to Make: These bars might look rather elegant, but they’re incredibly easy to make. Plus, they can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Now who doesn’t LOVE a good make-ahead dessert??
Tips For Making Blueberry Bars
Par-Bake the Crust: This crucial step creates a nice barrier to prevent the crust from turning soggy. It also ensures that the crust is baked all the way through and provides a sturdy base for the filling. The key is to bake the crust just until the edges are lightly golden and the center appears dry and set.
Balance Sweetness with Lemon: Although we’re replacing the lemon with blueberries, we still need some lemon tartness to round out the flavor of these bars. Not only is there lemon zest in the shortbread crust, but there’s also some zest and lemon juice in the filling. Just three tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice is incorporated into the filling, but it makes all the difference in enhancing the flavor of the blueberries.
Add a Tiny Splash of Almond Extract: Vanilla extract definitely adds a great floral sweetness to shortbread crusts, but almond extract really helps to brighten the flavor and overall sweetness. Just a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract makes all the difference, and you’ll be amazed by how it amps up the flavor.
Line the Pan: Lining the pan with parchment paper (and greasing it!) makes it SO MUCH easier to remove the bars from the pan. It also ensures that you’ll get those nice clean squares since you can lift the entire slab out onto a cutting board, and slice into squares.
Cool and Chill COMPLETELY: This step is absolutely crucial. If you don’t allow the bars to cool for two hours and chill for another two hours, they won’t set up properly. I also highly recommend running a thin spatula or knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the bars. This should be done after the bars have cooled for about an hour. I found that doing this step the next day is more difficult since the bars have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan.
Dust with Powdered Sugar JUST Before Serving: Since the filling is very moist, it tends to absorb the powdered sugar quickly. That’s why I recommend slicing the squares, plating them, and holding off on the powdered sugar until you’re about to serve them.
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Absolutely! There really is no difference whether you use fresh or frozen blueberries, so if you feel like making these bars in the winter months, use frozen blueberries. There’s also no need to thaw them beforehand since the berries are cooked on the stove anyway.
Do these blueberry bars freeze well?
Yes! If properly stored, these blueberry bars can be frozen for up to 4 months. Once the bars have chilled completely, use a sharp knife to slice them into squares. Do not dust them with powdered sugar. Place the squares on a large plate or pan and freeze for 2-3 hours. Take them out of the freezer, wrap them individually (or 2-3 together) with plastic wrap, place them into an airtight container, and back into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat one, you can thaw it out on the counter for about 30 minutes. Dust it with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
Blueberry Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Blueberry Filling:
- 1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- Pinch of salt
- 3 Tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Powdered Sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, and grease with nonstick cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the sugar and lemon zest together. Add the butter, and continue beating on high until creamy. Add the vanilla, almond extract and salt, and continue beating until blended. Slowly mix in the flour.
- Press dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
- While crust is baking, prepare the filling. Place blueberries into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Use a potato masher or fork to crush the berries as they soften. Once all the berries have been crushed, continue cooking until the mixture is smooth. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl, pushing out as much juice as possible. Discard the berry solids, and measure out 1/2 cup blueberry juice.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, zest, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in the blueberry juice and lemon juice, and then the flour, until combined. Remove the par-baked crust from the oven. Pour the filling onto the warm crust.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF, and bake for 20-24 minutes, or until the center is set. Place pan onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Once cool, cover bars and chill in the refrigerator for 2 more hours.
- Using a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry, cut blueberry bars into squares. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.