Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe - NYT Cooking 10/1/19, 5(33 PM

Vegan Mexican
Chocolate Pie
By The New York
Times
30 minutes, plus… (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017772-vegan-mexican-chocolate-pie?action=click&module=Recirculation

Blueberry Pie Bars

By Samantha Seneviratne

Y I E L D 16 servings

TIME About 1 hour 10 minutes, plus chilling

At first glance, these bars may look like every other fruit crumble bar you’ve had, but they have a secret. Between the
jammy fruit and buttery shortbread is a bonus layer of sweetened cream cheese you never knew you needed until
now. Wild blueberries are less watery than conventional blueberries and have a more concentrated blueberry flavor
that works beautifully in this recipe. They are available frozen and need not be thawed before using, but you can use
whichever variety you find. These bars will be delicious no matter what.

INGREDIENTS PREPARATION

FOR THE CRUST: Step 1

10 ⅔ ounces/300 grams shortbread
cookies (2 5.3-ounce packages)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons/60 grams unsalted
butter (1/2 stick), melted
FOR THE FILLING:
8 ounces/225 grams cream cheese,
at room temperature
¼ cup/50 grams plus 1/3 cup/65
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment
paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. In a food processor,
combine shortbread cookies, sugar, flour and salt and pulse until you
have fine crumbs. Add butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly
moistened. Transfer mixture into the prepared pan and press down
into an even layer. Bake until fragrant and a shade darker, 15 to 20
minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, prepare filling: In a medium bowl, add cream cheese, 1/4
cup of sugar and 1 egg and mix until smooth. In a separate medium
bowl, add blueberries, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt,
and toss to combine.
Step 3
Prepare topping: In a food processor, combine shortbread, flour, salt,

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Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe - NYT Cooking 10/1/19, 5(33 PM

grams granulated sugar baking powder and sugar and pulse to combine. Add butter and egg
yolk, and pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened.
1 large egg
3 cups/12 ounces/340 grams wild Step 4
blueberries, fresh or frozen, but not
Remove crust from oven and top it evenly with cream cheese mixture
thawed
and then blueberry mixture. Sprinkle topping over blueberry layer,
1 tablespoon cornstarch squeezing to make some larger clumps. Bake until filling is set and no
Pinch of kosher salt longer jiggly, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely
then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
FOR THE TOPPING:
Step 5
5 ⅓ ounces/150 grams shortbread To serve, use a sharp knife to release edges. Using parchment
cookies (1 5.3-ounce package) overhang, lift and transfer to a cutting board and cut into 16 squares.
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt PRIVATE NOTES
½ teaspoon baking powder
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at
room temperature
1 large egg yolk

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