Blueberry Pie Bars

My friend, Betty, served this dessert the other day for bridge.  They are more like a dessert bar (in my opinion), but however you serve them, they are scrumptious!

Sorry about the picture, I had have of it eaten before I shot the picture.  It is so, so goooood.

Crust and crumble Topping

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt, opt.

Filling

• 1 large egg
• Heaping 1/2 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt; or sour cream (lite is okay)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose

Blueberry layer

• 12 ounces (2 cups) blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (or 1/2 cup, if berries are sour)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare an 8 x 8-inch square pan.  I would line it with parchment paper with wings so when ready to take out of pan to cut, it comes out of the pan easier.  Then spray parchment with cooking spray.  After baking and cooling, lift the wings up and put it on a cutting board and slice.

Crust and crumble topping – In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.  Add the sugars and whisk to combine.  Add the flour, optional salt, and stir to combine.  Mixture will be very dry and sandy with some larger, well-formed crumble pieces.  Set a heaping 3/4-cup crumble mixture aside.  Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust, set aside.

Filling – In a medium bowl, add the egg, Greek yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine.  Add the flour and whisk to combine.  Evenly pour filling over the crust and jiggle pan to help distribute it or smooth it with a spatula; set aside.

Blueberry Layer – In a separate medium mixing bowl, add all blueberry layer ingredients and toss to combine.  If sugar hasn’t dissolved fully or still has crystals, that’s okay because it liquefies while baking.  Evenly distribute blueberry mixture over the filling.  Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heating 3/4 cup crust mixture.

Bake for about 60 minutes, or until edges are bubbling quite vigorously and there’s some bubbling in the center.  Crumble topping should appear set and very pale golden.  If using fresh berries instead of unthawed, baking time will be reduced, at least 10-15 minutes, possibly less.  Watch your bars, not clock, when evaluating doneness.  Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 1 to 2 hours (overnight is even better) before slicing and serving.  If you try to slice bars before they’ve cooled completely, they’ll be extremely messy and could fall apart.  Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, in the fridge for up to 10 days (they’re good slightly chilled if you like chilled pie), or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Serve with a mound of ice cream, as you can see in the picture.

Serves 6 to 8.

“God can help me to see the inner beauty in others.”