Blueberry Cake Bars

I wanted to call these blueberry crack bars but decided I better not.  They are so good and can be addicting so I’ll let you be the judge.

These little gems were one of the first things I pinned on Pinterest.  Sadly, the recipe got buried from one too many pin binges.  I really wish Pinterest had better organizing options.  An alphabet sort would be amazing; that way all my blueberry things would be together.

After rediscovering it a couple of months ago, I’ve made it too many times to count.  I’ve sent Mark to his church council meetings with them, dropped them off at the fire station, and given them to neighbors.  I really can’t be trusted in the house alone with them.  I am happy to report they are really good for breakfast with a cup of tea.  Mark says they are good with coffee, too.  And, when blueberries are on sale for 97 cents a pint, you must make them!

Begin with those beautiful blueberries.

Put them in a medium-sized bowl and gently stir in sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch.  Note:  January is a hot time for lemons in Arizona.  I’ll take any friends will give me.  I zest and juice lemons then freeze them for later use.  The zest freezes nicely in a little Mason jar, and I freeze the juice in 1-tablespoon cubes.  This recipe calls for 1.5 tablespoons, so I did it the super scientific way: I cut a cube in half.

Next up is the batter.  Mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, and egg.  It’s going to look rather strange because it’s so dry and crumbly, but have no fear, it’s going to bake up just fine.

Press half the dough into the bottom of a lightly greased 8×8 baking pan.

Give the blueberry mixture one last gentle stir and pour over dough.  It’s okay if you stop for a second to admire the colorful beauty in front of you.

Now, sprinkle the remaining dough on top of the blueberries.  Bake for 40-45 minutes in a 375° oven.  My oven cooks slow, and 47 minutes is the sweet spot in my house.  The RV oven is right at 42 minutes.

Let them cool completely before cutting.  I like my sweets small so I cut 16 pieces.

Store in a sealed container.

Click to print recipe.

Blueberry Cake Bars

Recipe Credit:  A Homemade Living

• 2 cups (one pint) fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 5 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 5 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1 egg

1. Make filling first by gently stirring together the blueberries, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Set aside.
2. Mix together the flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, butter, and egg.  Dough will be dry and crumbly.
3. Press half the dough mixture into a lightly greased 8×8 baking pan.  Top with blueberry mixture and sprinkle remaining dough on the top.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes in a preheated 375° oven.
5. Cool completely before cutting.  Store in a sealed container.

 

Meet the Family I’m Maureen Milne, F446881.  Mark and I are becoming empty nest veterans and you know what, we enjoy it!  We are always on the lookout for the next adventure, our friends call us the X-Games family. We are avid hikers, cyclists and skiers (both snow and water).  Mark does triathlons and we run several races a year.  We’ve been RVing together since we were teenagers and we love traveling with our two grown sons.  I share our RV adventures, RV friendly recipes, wonderful campgrounds and more on my blog, M&M Hit The Road.  You can also find our fun on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.