These blueberry pie bars have a fresh and juicy blueberry filling that's surrounded by a buttery shortbread crust. Both the crust and crumble topping come from the same mixture and comes together quickly in just one bowl. If you are a fan of homemade blueberry pie, you'll absolutely love these pie bars!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Buttery shortbread crust. It's super easy to make compared to a normal pie crust and doubles as the crumbly topping.
- Homemade blueberry pie filling. The blueberry center is sweet, juicy, and filled with fresh blueberries! You can also use frozen blueberries and make these pie bars year-round.
- Simple and easy to make. All you need is 10 minutes of prep work before placing these pie bars into the oven.
- Perfect summertime treat. Blueberries scream summertime, which is why I also bake these bars ahead of time as an easy 4th of July dessert!
Baking with fresh blueberries during the summertime is one of my favorite parts about the season. Along with these crumble bars, I also enjoy baking my easy blueberry cupcakes and these blueberry glazed blueberry donuts.
Jump to:
As a professional home baker who is also chasing around a toddler, I don't always have time to make a whole pie. That's why these blueberry bars are perfect because everything gets baked in one pan. I also enjoy these simple blueberry hand pies and my mini strawberry pies for this reason as well.
Ingredients for Blueberry Pie Bars
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Sugars: A combination of both brown and white sugar are used.
- Butter: Cold butter is needed for the shortbread crust.
- Egg: One large egg helps to bind everything together.
- Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries. I bake these year round!
- Corn Starch: Thickens the blueberry juices as it bakes.
- Lemon Juice: Adding just a hint of lemon to the juicy blueberries adds tartness.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list and the exact amounts.
How to Make Blueberry Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Then, cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter until crumbly.
Step 2: Mix in the beaten egg and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Step 3: Press half of the shortbread crust onto the bottom of the pan. Use your fingers to firmly press it down.
Step 4:In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice.
Step 5: Pour the blueberry mixture over the crust.
Step 6: Take the remaining crust mixture and sprinkle it over the top of the blueberries.
Step 7: Bake the bars for 45-55 minutes. Cool completely on the counter before serving slicing and serving.
Storing & Freezing
Keep any remaining bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
To freeze, place the cooled pie bars in an airtight container. They can be kept frozen for up to 2 months. Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Expert Baking Tips
- Baking Pan: Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with cooking spray.
- Cold Butter: Make sure you use cold butter directly from your refrigerator when you add it to the crumb mixture. If you have a pastry cutter, use that to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles crumbs. You could also use a food processor.
- Crust: Use your fingers to firmly press the crust down into the bottom of the prepared pan. Only half of the crumb mixture is used for the crust. The other half is for the topping.
- Cooling Time: The bars need to completely cool at room temperature before serving. If you don't, you risk the bars falling apart. I like to serve them cold.
Recipe FAQs
Yes you can! I do that frequently when fresh blueberries are harder to find in the winter months.
When the crumble topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling is bubbling.
Absolutely! This is actually my family's favorite way to eat these. After the bars have cooled at room temperature, place the whole baking pan in the refrigerator. Once cold, slice into bars.
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Pie Bars with Shortbread Crust
Equipment
- 8x8 inch baking pan
- Pastry Cutter
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients:
Crust/Topping
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- 1 large egg, beaten
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Blueberry Filling
- 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line an 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little hanging over the sides to serve as a “handle”. Then grease with cooking spray.
Crust/Topping
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter or food processor until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then mix in the beaten egg and vanilla extract.
- Use half of the crumb mixture to press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to firmly press the crust into place so that it covers the entire pan. Set the other half aside.
Blueberry Filling
- Combine the blueberries, sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl, mixing thoroughly. Pour over the top of the crust. Then add the rest of the crumb topping over the top of the blueberry layer.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling is bubbling. Completely cool before slicing into bars. *Once cooled to room temperature, I like to transfer the bars to the refrigerator. After a few hours of chilling, slice into bars. This helps to create even cuts.
This sounds incredible! I love shortbread and berries. How would raspberries work? Would increasing the cornstarch be needed? Thanks
Thank you, Meg! I have yet to try raspberries in this recipe. I would recommend making the raspberry jam filling from my raspberry pop tart recipe and use that as the raspberry layer in these shortbread bars. Please let me know if you try it and how they turned out. 🙂
These look so so good! I'd love to try to find a few healthy substitutions for the flour, sugar and cornstarch. Perhaps nut flour, maple syrup, and arrowroot powder would work.
Nathalia | NathaliaFit - Fitness & Wellness Blog
http://www.nathaliafit.com
I am not sure about the substitutions, but if you try it out, definitely let me know how it turned out for you!
Made these, using exact recipe. Loved them and will definitely be making again!
YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Linda. 🙂