For the longest time I've had this dream of mixing my favorite childhood lemon bar with some berries, just to see what would happen.

When I first tried making these bars, I went the blackberry route. Blackberries are tart and sassy and have a beautiful color. Turns out blackberries are also divas. I don't know. I don't want to talk about it.

The next morning I awoke with a resolve to make my vision come to life. You may call it "way too many lemon bars for a 48 hour time period." I call it redemption.



That's when I sought out the advice of the Grandmother Willow of recipes. The queen of dinner parties.  The one and only.  The Ina Garten.




Together, Ina and I created these blueberry lemon bars. And by together, I mean that I threw some blueberries into Ina's flawless lemon bar recipe that I found on the internet. I know, totally reckless and irresponsible.




These lemon bars are everything. The crust is shortbread basically a bed of sweetened butter. The lemon custard is tangy and sweet and totally ready to party. The blueberries grace these bars like a Ludacris feature in a hip hop song. They take your typical one note lemon bars and add something fresh and sweet. The powdered sugar is just an evolutionary way to kill off people who tend to inhale when they eat.



These bars are perfect for those of you who will let go of summer when it's ripped from your cold dead hands. These bars have summer written all over them.

Blueberry Lemon Bars

Adapted from Ina Garten, Patron Saint of Bruschetta

For the Crust:
2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

For the Filling:
6 extra-large eggs
3 cups sugar
Zest from 2 lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
Juice from 4-5 lemons (about 1 cup)
1 cup flour
8 oz blueberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add 2 cups flour and salt and mix until just combined. Dump onto well greased 9X13 inch pan and press with floured hands until flattened. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until just brown around the edges.

While your crust is baking, whisk together eggs, 3 cups sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1 cup flour.

In a separate bowl, toss blueberries with cornstarch.

Pour lemon filling over baked crust. Pour in blueberries. They should float to the top. Make sure they are spread evenly. Bake in the oven for 30-35 more minutes until filling is set.

Let cool completely (in the fridge is best) before sprinkling with powdered sugar.