A Pie By Any Other Name

When I asked my friend Paul what dessert he wanted waiting for him when he arrived in Nashville, he responded without any hesitation, “Blueberry Crumble Pie.”

I’ve been baking a lot of pies. Partly because it’s pie season, partly because, after practice and patience, I think I finally have a knack for it, but above all because they’re goddamn good. But when Paul asked for a Blueberry Crumble Pie, I admit, I was pie’d out.

Alas, I found myself in my very own butter-and-flour-induced variations on a theme. So here we are. Introducing Blueberry Crumble Pie Bars.

Pie for Breakfast

They turned out to be a clever trick to conceal pie as breakfast, a covert operation to consume a massive amount of sugar before 10am.

The filling holds firm so you can cut these bad boys into perfect little bars and take them on the go. Or I guess you can eat them on a plate if you want. Just make sure you eat every last crumb.

Team Empty Plate Club 4eva.

Print

Blueberry Crumble Pie Bars

These blueberry crumble pie bars are a cross between a slab pie and crumb bars, making it easy for a get-and-go breakfast or dessert!

Servings 8 4" Bars

Ingredients

for the crust

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 8 Tbsp cold butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1/4 cup ice water

for the filling

• 4 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 5 tsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 lemon juiced

for the crumble

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 2 lemon zested
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar

Instructions

for the crust

• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a 8"x8" brownie pan with two sheets of overhanging parchment (this will make it easy to lift the pie out of the pan).
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter cubes, tossing it in the flour to coat. Rub the butter into the flour, pinching the cubes with your thumb and forefinger so they form walnut-sized discs (for a flaky crust).
• Make a well in the center, and add the water a few tablespoons at a time and mix just until the dough comes together, pulling flour into the well from the sides.
• Form the dough into a small square, then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. 
• Roll out chilled pie dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to the brownie pan, folding any overhanging dough downwards to create a thick outer crust. Chill until ready to use. 

for the filling

• Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure that every blueberry is coated.

for the crumble

• In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and zest from one lemon. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Crumble the mixture into big and small crumbles. 
  
• In a separate small bowl, mix the turbinado sugar and zest from one lemon until the sugar is moistened.

assembly

• Add the filling to the prepared crust. Crumble the crumb topping on top and then sprinkle the sugar and lemon zest mixture on top. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

• You can definitely substitute another fruit for the filling, such as cherries or raspberries.