I love baking with blueberries.
Growing up in New England, we always picked blueberries in the summertime. We’d stand in the blueberry fields in the heat and try not to eat a pint of blueberries off the bushes before we finished. And of course made sure to not leave stains on our mouths as evidence!
Blueberries have been a staple in my diet since I got SIBO 4+ years ago. They’re low fodmap, low glycemic/sugar, and a pretty much safe fruit on every diet. They happen to be one of my favorite fruits so I guess I’m lucky. I used to only be able to eat the sweet blueberries, but now I can handle the sour ones. Which makes it a lot more fun when I do go blueberry picking.
I actually picked fresh blueberries for these BLUEBERRY PIE BARS. These bars have been my favorite, literally favorite dessert to bake for years. I make them for my offices, parties and events and they’re always a hit. However the original recipe calls for all the unhealthy-I can’t eat- things. So I recreated the recipe with substitutions to make them gluten free and dairy free — and you guys, they came out so good. I have yet to try them with paleo flour but that’s next up on my list!
What is in these blueberry pie bars?
Gluten free all purpose flour: I used King Arthur GF flour, but any blend will work here. Just make sure it's all purpose. I have not tried paleo flour here yet.
Dairy free butter: This is what makes your bars, well, buttery. I use either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s. I find they taste the most true to butter and both bake really well
Sea salt: Always balances flavors in baked goods
Coconut Sugar: This is my sugar of choice always, because it bakes well and does not taste like coconut. It’s low glycemic. However organic cane sugar will work well here and will keep your bars a pretty white color
Eggs: This is what creates the texture in your pie filling. I have not tried to substitute but I don't think it will work the same.
Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: This is the moisture in your bars. You can use any dairy free yogurt as well just make sure it's unsweetened and thick. You can also find lactose free sour cream now
Blueberries: The champ of this recipe! Make sure these are FRESH. Frozen may make your pie bars soggy. If you only have frozen, make sure you defrost first and drain the liquid before using
Ingredients:
For the crust:
-1 1/2 cup of GF all-purpose flour
-3/4 cup dairy free butter, cubed
-pinch of sea salt
-3/4 cup coconut sugar or any granulated sugar
For the filling:
-1/3 cup of GF all purpose flour
-2 eggs
-3/4 cup of coconut sugar*
-1/2 cup of thick greek yogurt or sour cream (dairy free if needed)
-3 cups of blueberries, fresh
-pinch of sea salt
Make the bars:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or grease it up.
2. Mix up your dough ingredients until it becomes a crumbly mixture. I used my food processor but
doing it by hand works, it’ll just take longer. Put aside one cup of this mixture.
3. Press the remainder into the bottom of the pan until it’s flat and even, like a bottom crust. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Try not to over bake, check to make sure the top has set and just browning. Take out of oven and set aside.
4. Then whisk your eggs in a bowl and mix all your filling ingredients in until it becomes a batter. Then fold in blueberries gently
5. Pour this mixture over your baked crust evenly. Then take the one cup of dough you set aside and sprinkle it over the blueberry batter.
6. Bake for 45 minutes until your blueberries are bursting and juicy and your batter has slightly browned. You can also check with a toothpick to make sure the inside is cooked.
Let cool til warm before slicing up and top with big scoop of ice cream!
Recipe notes:
- Organic cane sugar will keep your bars a pretty white, if you aren’t paleo and can tolerate a white sugar
- I do not suggest a vegan substitute for the egg. The texture is needed for the filling. I have a lot of other recipes that are egg-free or can be substituted, though!
- Make sure your blueberries are fresh, not frozen. Frozen may make your pie bars soggy. If you only have frozen, make sure you defrost first and drain the liquid before using
- You can use real butter and regular all purpose flour instead of the dairy free and GF version
- Do not overtake your crust or it may be too cooked once the blueberry layer cooks. I suggest taking it out of the oven when it’s just browned on top.
- You can use dairy free yogurt in replacement for the Greek Yogurt, just make sure it’s thick and unsweetened. You can also use lactose free sour cream.
Let me know in the comments below if you make these beauties! They’re so delicious!