Blueberry and Frangipane Bars

If the modern world has you feeling a bit beaten down, I have a solution for you. Go and listen to the Cheers song over and over while you make yourself a batch of pie bars. They are just the thing if “your third fiancé didn’t show”, “your shrink ran off to Europe and didn’t even write”, or if, like me, you’ve just had kind of a long week.

Put all that behind you, because it’s the weekend and we’re having pie bars. I’ve been playing around with almond blueberry pie bars for a while now (you can see a glutinous version here and my first paleo iteration here), but these are by far the best. The crust is a buttery, crunchy shortbread, enhanced with just a hint of almond extract, and the frangipane layer is a nutty custard (spiked with a tiny bit of rum if you’re up for it–it is, after all, the freakin’ weekend). A layer of wild blueberries and some crust crumbles finish things off.

Blueberry and Frangipane Bars

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• Author: Becky Winkler
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: About 20 bars 1x

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Description

A version of pie bars with buttery shortbread and a crumble top. The perfect gluten-free thing to make to get back to the delicious basics.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the crust and topping:

• 2 1/4 cups (540 ml) lightly packed almond flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp finely ground raw sugar or coconut sugar*
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional)

For the frangipane (adapted from Alexandra's Kitchen):

• 1 cup (240 ml) raw almonds
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) raw sugar or coconut sugar*
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) rum (optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) water, plus more as needed
• Pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) frozen blueberries*

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease an 8×12 or 9×13-inch pan with butter or ghee.
2. To make the crust, whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt. Add the butter or ghee and extracts and mix well with a fork or your fingers. The dough will be crumbly, but should stick together when squeezed. Set aside 2/3 cup of the dough for topping the bars later. Press the remainder of the dough into the bottom of the greased pan to form a crust.
3. Bake the crust for about 18 minutes, until light golden brown around the edges. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
4. While the crust is baking, make the frangipane. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth (tiny pieces of almond are fine). Add more water a tbsp at a time if necessary to facilitate blending.
5. Spread the frangipane on top of the crust, using a spatula to help it reach all four corners. Sprinkle the frozen blueberries evenly on top of the frangipane, and then sprinkle the reserved dough on top of the blueberries.
6. Bake bars for about 30 minutes, until light golden brown on top. Cool completely in the pan, and then slice into bars. I sliced mine crosswise into ten strips, and then cut all the strips in half, but you could also cut them into squares if you prefer.
7. The pie bars will keep, covered at room temperature, for up to 2 days. You could probably refrigerate them and store them for a little longer.

Notes

• *I used frozen wild blueberries, but regular-sized and/or fresh berries would also work.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Baking, Dessert
• Cuisine: Gluten Free

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 bar
• Calories: 230

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