I’m not exaggerating when I say that these may be one of the best bars I have ever had.
I make them the ALL the time.
How do I know it’s not just a personal biased favorite?
The last time I made these I caught a cousin of mine licking the parchment paper the bars were baked on. With no shame whatsoever. And another cousin was picking at all the tiny stuck-on blueberry bits on said parchment paper.
So, yes.
Super good bars.
They start with a crisp and buttery shortbread crust that’s topped with tangy lemon curd and juicy, dark purple, burst blueberries. Top that with more butter shortbread crumbles and a little powdered sugar, if you like. I usually avoid it because I have a tendency to inhale before biting and it doesn’t serve me well with powdered sugar dusted desserts.
But there is a lot of tang in these bars, so a little dusting of sweet won’t hurt.
BLUEBERRY LEMON SHORTBREAD CRUMBLE BARS
I feel like I should quickly address the elephant in the post.
The cheese slicer.
So, no. there is not a smidgen of cheese in these bars. And I have never, ever, not ever actually used one of these cheese slicers to slice cheese.
Do they work well?
I just go for a knife. And these cheese slicers make the best little tiny spatulas for things like…oh, I don’t know…..Bars! They are just the perfect little size!
So, you may see a device meant for shaving off little slices of delicious pressed curds of milk, but all I see is a tiny spatula.
Happy weekend to all of you! I turn…gulp….30 this weekend, and my sweet husband who obviously senses my pain is whisking me off somewhere for the night so I must pack!
I’m hoping he found a worm hole or something of the like and we’re headed back to age 25.
It all just went so fast, you know?
KITCHEN HACK OF THE DAY:
Before cooking any type of bar or brownie in a baking pan(or cookie sheet, whatever you may call it), line it in a sheet of parchment paper first. The parchment sheet should be long enough and wide enough to hang over the edges by at least an inch or two. You may have to press the corners in a little bit. But not only will clean up be a breeze( once the bars are cool you can slide the whole sheet of them right off of the baking sheet), but you won’t have to worry about trying to slice them in the pan. No knife marks, and no awkward end cuts.
- 4 C. all-purpose flour
- 1 C. powdered sugar
- 2 C. Butter, cut into cubes and semi-soft(4 sticks, or 1 lb.)
- 7 large egg yolks
- 2 large eggs
- 1 C. + 2 T. sugar
- ⅔ C. lemon juice (from about 4-5 medium lemons), strained
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 T. unsalted butter, cut in to 4 pieces
- 3 T. heavy cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 C. Blueberries
- For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Put the flour and powdered sugar in a food processor and process briefly, about 2 seconds. Add the butter pieces and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second pulses. Reserve ⅓ of the shortbread dough. Place the other ⅔ of the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press the shortbread in an even layer on top of the parchment paper on the baking sheet.
- Bake the crust until the edges start to brown, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- For the filling:
- In a medium saucepan whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar until combined. Add the lemon juice and salt and whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add the butter pieces and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the curd thickens, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream, Fold the blueberries into the curd and then pour the curd into the warm crust. Spread as evenly as you can across the crust, taking care to evenly distribute the blueberries. Crumble the reserved shortbread dough evenly over the top of the filling.
- Bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the blueberries have burst, and the crumble is lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let the bars cool. Cut into 2 inch squares, wiping the knife blade clean between each cut. Sieve powdered sugar over the bars, if you prefer.
More Blueberries?
Gingersnap Blueberry Mango Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ha! I have that cheese slicer too, never thought to use it as a little spatula, love it! Also loving these awesome blueberry lemon bars! I’m pretty sure I would join your cousins in licking the parchment!
Aww! Happy birthday to you Kayley! I have to say, I am enjoying my 30’s more than my 20’s. Hope you guys have a nice getaway, whatever it is. : ) These bars sound so good, what puts me over the edge is the lemon curd you add, that sounds so good!
Love, these were incredible:-))). The crust was thick and buttery, the lemon and blueberry was so good chilled and the crumble was amazing!
wow these crumble bars look so delicious, definitely craving one right now!
Happy birthday!!!! These bars look awesome 😀
My baking sheet is 10×15 (150 sq. Inches)…….if I use a 9×13 pan (117sq. Inches) you suggest to halve the recipe. How does this compute?
Maybe try doing 2/3 the recipe and baking in the 10×15? The bars may be just a tad thicker.
Hi, I was reading the recipe and wondering how much butter do you put in the crust and how much in the filling?
3 or 4 egg yolks for half batch?
You said it makes a full sheet, but did you mean a half sheet ? (18×13)
9×13 is considered a quarter sheet.
Thanks
Yes, full half sheet =)
Do these need to be refrigerated, or can they be left out for a period of time?
They can be left out, but overall will store better in the fridge.
The BUEBERRY BARS were a real hit!!!! The only thing I don’t like is that the recipe uses a lot of egg yolks!
GREAT RECIPE!!!