I really love the incredibly vivid blue hue of these summery sweet treats. And even more so because it is totally natural, not food coloring needed. Reducing pureed blueberries concentrates both the sweet flavor and the color, creating these surprising and delicious bars. I love a healthy dose of speckled vanilla bean paste, though extract works as well, to complement the blueberries and add a little mystery. Bring these out after a barbecue and you will definitely get some oohs and ahhs.
These really are best with fresh, in season as local as you can get berries. I did a test on these using store bought berries out of season and they were purple and dramatic, but didn’t taste much of berry, whereas my initial summer season test was bursting with blueberry sweetness. The white glaze makes for some drama but is not strictly necessary. I shake of powdered sugar would do nicely as well.
Ingredients
- For the Bars
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
10 Tablespoons butter (1 stick plus 2 Tablespoons), melted and cooled
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
- For the Glaze
1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Directions
- For the Bars
- Puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the puree is reduced to ½ cup. Leave to cool to room temperature. (I rinse and dry the saucepan and use it to melt the butter and leave it to cool as well).
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8 inch pan with nonstick foil or parchment paper.
- Stir the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, then stir in the vanilla paste and salt. Add the eggs and stir until completely combined. Stir in the blueberry puree until it is thoroughly and evenly combined, then add the flour and stir in just until there are no streaks of dry ingredients visible. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it into an even layer. Drop the pan on the counter to bang out any air bubbles, then bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs clinging. Cool completely in the pan.
- For the Glaze
- Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, then add the milk and vanilla and stir until smooth and combined. You want it thick but easily spreadable so add a touch more milk if needed. Pour the glaze over the bars in the pan and spread it to cover the top. I use an offset spatula. Leave to set for several hours, then cut into squares. The bars will keep in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days.
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