Test Kitchen #60 ~ Blueberry Shortbread Bars

I am not quite as adventurous in the kitchen as Rob. He’ll plunder cabinets and spices and throw some deliciously creative something something together that becomes a family favorite. I will tweak a recipe to suit what I want but I still usually start with a recipe as a guide.

Which is what happened with this week’s recipe. I came across this on pinterest but the more I thought about it and after a successful blueberry picking trip I realized I would definitely be changing things up a bit. And since I was changing a thing or two I decided to use a really good homemade shortbread recipe instead of  the cookie base they used. (This still looks yummy though so at some point I will probably make it and follow the directions 🙂

What you’ll need for the shortbread crust:

1 cup of butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cup all purpose flour

What you’ll do:

Cream together butter and sugar.

Gradually stir in the flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and kneed for about three minutes.

Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper leaving some to overlap for easy lifting.

Pat the dough evenly on the bottom of the pan. (I didn’t quite get a full pan but it was close.)

Prick with a fork and bake at 300 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes on until the bottom begins to brown.

Allow to completely cool.

What you’ll need for the cream cheese layer:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 tsp almond extract

confectioner’s sugar ( I eyeball the amount until I have the right consistency…probably about 1 1/4 cups)

What you’ll do:

Beat the cream cheese and almond extract until smooth.

Gradually add in confectioner’s sugar. (Add milk a little at a time if you need to smooth it out.)

What you’ll need for the blueberry topping:

1 cup of blueberries

1/4 cup sugar (less if your blueberries are really sweet)

2 tsp flour

little bit of water

What you’ll do:

Combine the first three ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat.

Cook until the blueberries begin to break down and it begins to thicken.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whew! That seems like a work intensive dessert but really it’s all easy…it just has parts. Now it all comes together really quickly.

Simply spread the cream cheese mixture over the shortbread and then pour and smooth the blueberry compote on top. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Can’t believe I almost forgot this fun tidbit! All the pictures were taking with my iPhone5s which is kind of fun.

Tuesday’s Table       Pintastic Party

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