Easy Blueberry Shortbread Food

BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place butter cubes in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Sprinkle in Chinese five-spice powder.
• Cut in frozen butter using a pastry cutter until the butter pieces are about the size of peas. Mix in egg yolk and continue cutting in until thoroughly combined. Drizzle in ice water and stir to combine. The dough should just come together when pinched between your fingers.
• Pour about 3/4 of the crumb mixture into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking dish. Press the mixture down firmly using the back of a spoon. Spread blueberries in one layer and sprinkle with remaining crumbly dough.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden and sides are crisp and browned, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

BLUEBERRY CORNMEAL SHORTBREAD TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Make the crust and topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, confectioners' sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Add melted butter, then use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine ingredients until no dry spots remain.
• Press half of the cornmeal mixture into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (alternatively, use a 9-inch cake pan or springform pan, lined with parchment), making sure the mixture is evenly pressed on the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. (Using something large and flat, like the bottom of a measuring cup, will be helpful.) Reserve the remaining mixture.
• Make the filling: Toss blueberries, brown sugar, vinegar, flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour the fruit into the crust.
• Crumble the remaining cornmeal mixture over the blueberries, pressing bits of the mixture together into large clumps as you go, as you would with a crisp or coffee-cake topping.
• Bake tart until the blueberry filling is bubbly and thickened, and both the crust and top are nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Let tart cool completely before slicing into triangles and serving. The tart can be baked up to 2 days ahead and stored tightly wrapped at room temperature or refrigerated (especially if your kitchen is hot or humid).

BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine the butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process until mixture begins to form small lumps; press into the bottom of a 2-quart baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven's heat to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Beat the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar in a bowl until soft and creamy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, until smooth. Gradually stir in the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour the mixture over the crust.
• Bake until firm to the touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Meanwhile, make the topping by combining the blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook until thickened. Allow mixture to cool.
• Pour the cooled blueberry mixture over top of the cream cheese layer. Chill assembled cheesecake in refrigerator overnight.

BLUEBERRY TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter; process until large moist crumbs form (dough should hold together when squeezed).
• Transfer dough to a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom; with floured fingers, press evenly into bottom and up sides. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes; prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes; cool completely.
• Meanwhile, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest berries for topping. In a medium saucepan, bring 1/4 cup water and 1 1/2 cups berries to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water; stir into berries in pan. Add lemon zest and juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, stirring, just until mixture begins to thicken, 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 3 1/2 cups fresh berries. Immediately pour hot berry mixture into cooled tart shell, and smooth with a spatula.
• Immediately pour hot berry mixture into cooled tart shell, and smooth with a spatula. Scatter reserved berries on top, pressing down lightly to help them adhere. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes and up to overnight.

FRESH BLUEBERRY SHORTCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, lemon juice and 2 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes. Stir in remaining blueberries; let cool to room temperature., Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cream just until moistened. , Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 1/2-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. While hot, cut biscuits in half horizontally and spread insides with butter. Set aside to cool., Just before serving, place heavy cream in a chilled small mixing bowl and with chilled beaters, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add remaining 1-2 tablespoons sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Spoon cream over the bottom of each biscuit. Top with berry mixture and biscuit top. If desired, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Crust:
• In a medium bowl, mix flour and sugar together. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press into a 10-inch pie plate or a 10-inch springform pan. Press dough up sides approximately 1 inch.
• Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes.
• Filling:.
• In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar and quickly toss with blueberries. As soon as crust is out of oven, fill crust with blueberry mixture. Dot with butter and cover with topping.
• Topping:.
• In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and sprinkle on top of blueberries.
• Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

AUSTRIAN RASPBERRY/BLUEBERRY SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until soft and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix well.
• Mix the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add to the butter and egg yolk mixture and mix just until incorporated and the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and form into two balls. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours or overnight (or as long as a month, if you like).
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 8x8 or 9x9 square baking pan or a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom. (I use Baker's Joy spray).
• Remove one ball of dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it by hand or with the grating disk in a food processor into the bottom of the greased baking pan (or tart pan). Make sure the surface is covered evenly with shreds of dough.
• Gently mix the blueberries, raspberries and the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix sugar, flour, lemon zest in a small bowl until combined, then add to blueberry/raspberry mixture and mix gently with your hand to coat the berries with the flour mixture.
• Cover the bottom layer of dough with the blueberry mixture as evenly as possible, gently pressing the berries into the dough. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it over the entire surface. (I grate this second ball of dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, then sprinkle over the berries.).
• Place in oven and cover lightly with foil, bake for 20 minutes, then remove foil. Continue baking until lightly golden brown and the center no longer wiggles, about 20-30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
• After the shortbread is cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired or drizzle with lemon glaze. For lemon glaze, mix 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Add enough milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin out to thick drizzling consistency.
• Cool on a wire rack, then cut in the pan with a serrated knife. Chilling the pan in the fridge makes it a lot easier to get clean cuts.
• Adapted from Butter Sugar Flour Eggs.