You can use any summer fruit in these bars, as long as you don't use too much and it's not too wet. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
These were fast, easy, and very delicious! My family really liked them (except one daughter who doesn't like blueberries). I don't have Chinese spice so used 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. cinnamom. Thanks, and I enjoyed the video, also.
Read MoreUsed chinese 5 spice powder as listed in recipe, shouldn't have. Gave the shortbread an unusual taste, kind of like bad breath aftertaste.
Read MoreThese were fast, easy, and very delicious! My family really liked them (except one daughter who doesn't like blueberries). I don't have Chinese spice so used 1/8 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. cinnamom. Thanks, and I enjoyed the video, also.
Used chinese 5 spice powder as listed in recipe, shouldn't have. Gave the shortbread an unusual taste, kind of like bad breath aftertaste.
As usual, Chef John delivers a great recipe. I wanted a cookie bar for my favorite mechanics at our local Midas shop who love cookies. I don't do cookies well, and usually take them scones ( the Savoy recipe here at AR). After watching John's video, I thought these were a good compromise between cookies and scones. They turned out very well. Thanks Chef John.
So yummy! Not too sweet, and so so good. My husband took 1 bite and said "ooh, this is a keeper". I didn't have Allspice, so I used 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg instead (per other reviewers). I used more berries, enough to make a full layer. I used 2 T of water, instead of 1. I used an 8x8 pan,and I baked it for 5 more minutes than called for. and it turned out great.
I've made this recipe a couple of times. Huge kudos each time! I doubled the recipe and used a Pyrex 11 x 15 size pan. Worked perfect. I used frozen blueberries and subsituted the chinese five spice for 1 tsp. of cinnamon.
great recipe!!!!! I used blackberries, which are my favorite (oh why must they be cursed with so many seeds?!) I liked this recipe because of the shortbread crunch at the bottom, it really set it apart from a usual crisp. I didnt have 5 spice, so I added nutmeg and cinnamon. I also added a bit of vanilla and 1 tablespoon water to the dough. I think I freaked out on the consistency of the dough, and I thought more water was needed, but it probably wasnt. It turned out great, and once all those little butter balls melted in the oven, the crust turned into crispy, buttery goodness.
I have made these several times. My favorite happens to be the blueberry shortbread bars. I doubled the recipe & baked it in my Pyrex 11 X 7 X 2 inch glass baking dish. It works wonderful. I like blueberries, I used more blueberries also. Cinnamon was my choice, too. Great recipe!!
These were fast,simple, and DELICIOUS! To top it off they taste even BETTER the next day. This recipe is an absolute keeper. I only had cinnamon at the moment of preparing the recipe so I went with that only and they ended up yummy! I used the amount of blueberries the recipe calls for and honestly I think you need abit more. I used the whole pint and avoided the dough to become big crumbs.This will depend on how cold is the butter. I also had to use a bit more water and very cold. Your best guide to know you got the dough ready is to check that the it does not stick to the bowl and keeps sort of small loose crumbs close to powdery texture. This will make it easier for you to assemble. By doing this you can use half of the dough for the bottom. Do not be afraid of feeling like it is not enough amount of dough when setting the bottom what is important is to be able to layer it as flat as possible,then cover with the layer of the berries and sprinkle the rest of the dough like if it were sprinkles. You will notice the look will be just as fantastic as it tastes!
Easy peasy! I just love this recipe. The shortbread crust is perfectly crunchy & crumbly, with a subtle touch of the Chinese 5 Spice making you ask "What makes this taste so good?" I used my food processor and I had to add a full tablespoon of ice cold water to get my shortbread to stay together. I attribute that to the weather as we live in a low humidity environment. It was in the oven in less than 10 minutes-2 hours to cool...I just ate 3 pieces! Thanks so much Chef John for the recipe and the video!
outstanding and simple. have made these 3 times with various fruits. i place the pan under the broiler for a couple of mins. to brown before removing from the oven. once i accidentally threw the whole egg in and it was still very good--a little cakier and browner/crispier--try it. my fruit was very sweet so the additional egg white didn't throw off the amount of sugar used in the original recipe. i've made these bars with a pastry cutter but prefer the simplicity of the food processor. i sub 1/4 tsp of vanilla for 1/4 tsp of water and add it and the rest of the water in with the egg without a problem. thanks chef john!
This was very tasty. I would highly recommend watching the video for some great tips. It's really important to pat down the top layer or else it becomes very crumbly.
I made it as directed and it was not tasty at all. Next time, I will use brown sugar instead of white and cinnamon with a little lemon juice
Absolutely delicious - I used blackberries which is what I had on hand, but I look forward to trying with blueberries.
Yummy and easy. Great for fresh blueberries and when you want something not overly sweet.
I had some problems making this...I needed MUCH more liquid in the shortbread mix (I used almond extract and lemon juice with water) to get it to that stage where it will hold together...probably as much as 1/3 cup...It made me nervous, and I'm a confident cook usually. Then, I used wayyy more blueberries, and added brown sugar to the crumb for the top. I cooked it for the 45 minutes, and though it has yet to cool, I am suspicious that it will not hold as a bar...I think I've made a nice crumble topping for icecream. Sorry Chef John...you're great but this one left me puzzled. PS~for those of you who haven't tried five-spice, leave it out...it's an acquired taste. I used cinnamon and nutmeg.
I used salted butter, so I didn't need to add any more salt at the end. I also used cinnamon powder instead of Chinese five-spice. I'd tried to bake those great bars with different kind of fruit. They turned out perfectly everytime! Great recipe!
Received many accolades on my version of this recipe. I added a mixture of unsweetened almond milk and sifted confectioners sugar drizzled on top.
These were delicious! Great thing is that you can use several different types of fruit. They were easy to make, easy to handle and easy to eat!
A crumbly mess. And I had to use 3 times the amount of fruit or there would have been only a blueberry per bite, if that. I love Chef John's recipes, but need better directions for this. It didn't work out. Taste was good however.
Easy and delish. If you want very sweet add extra sugar, but if you want to taste blueberries leave recipe as is.
These are awesome and easy to make. I doubled the recipe and loaded it with blueberries and now I plan to use cherries. This is a great basic recipe.
This was a quick and easy recipe. I doubled the recipe (I work in a hotel and was needing a quick recipe for weekend treats), and it was very convenient. The recipe was easy to follow. However, I would recommend adding a half-cup of brown sugar. The recipe is a little bland on its own.
I made this as is and it is Great!! Particularly to LJ HAWK: Our Spices, but particularly Chinese 5 spice MUST be Fresh. If you've had it for a year (or more) throw it out and buy a new one, when you're going to use it, not before*!* I sure hope this helps everyone enjoy the Chinese 5 spice idea more, it adds so much to this recipe. Why make another boring bar w/the expected spices?? Live dangerously; try something NEW*
I loved this recipe, the bars were a great hit for Christmas! I didn't use the Chinese 5 spice powder; I usually won't go out and buy a special spice if I know I won't use it again! I used the suggestion he made in the video, which was to use a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm glad that I watched the video first! Only thing, it seems like there was too much butter. I may decrease the amount the next time I make it. I can't wait to try it with cherries!
awesome recipe! I've made these bars numerous times, and absolutely love them!!!
They were ok, but as others said, they were a bit bland. I have an abundance of blueberries, but will probably not make these again any time soon.
Awesome! I used 1/2 a cup of homemade plum jam instead of berries and pumpkin spice instead of five spice (it's almost the same thing). They were fantastic, my boyfriend and our friends just melted down their chairs and their eyes rolled back in their heads as they swooned over how good they were. I'm putting this one in my book for keeps.
I followed the recipe as written, including using the chinese 5 spice. I was hestitant to how it would affect the flavor, but I actually like it a lot. These are great!
I used about 2 1/4 c. blue berries...just cuz I had them & needed to use them. Sprinkled them with a bit of Truvia & shook the berries to coat. Used a 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 glass baking dish & it worked just fine. Had to bake for 55 minutes because of the extra berries. This is a keeper for sure!
An alright bar. I would have liked them a little thicker so I would probably 1 and a half times the shortbread recipe next time. This recipe tastes like shortbread. Nothing spectacular, but okay. Not much more than shortbread with blueberries thrown in.
I was looking for a recipe that was similar to this one but did not find it, so I just tweaked this one util I got something resembling what I was looking for... Instead of using blueberries I used strawberry jam and at the end, once it was completely cooled of, I sprinkled melted white chocolate on top. I made these to give as a Christmas present... It was highly appreciated! My boyfriend tasted it and asked if I really had to give it away! It will be definitely added to the family recipes!
I now know why this recipe has had so many 5-star reviews...it's simply GOOD! It's also very rich/filling, so I ended up cutting into bars, rather than squares. Thumbs up Chef John!
Awesome, easy recipe! The shortbread isn't dry and it's the perfect amount of sweetness.
My boyfriend loves shortbread cookies and blueberries so when I came across this recipe I decided to give a try right away, and I'm so glad that I did! I made two modifications to this recipe. First, like some other users, I used nutmeg and cinnamon instead of Chinese 5 spice powder(I am Chinese myself, Chinese 5 spice powder is wonderful for cooking Chinese food, I'm just not sure if we are going to like the taste in bakery goods). Also, I used about 1 and 1/2 tsp ice water because I found I need that much to make the crumbs can be compressed together. I baked it for 30 mins and I think next time I'll start checking around 28 mins because the edge was a bit overdone in my opinion. Overall these blueberry shortbread bars taste amazingly good!
I tried this recipe exchanging the spice powder for cinnamon. It was good but needs a little something to make the blueberries pop. Next time I'm going to try adding some lemon juice.
THESE WERE DESCENT! MY ONLY COMPLAINT IS ABSOLUTELY NEEDS MORE BLUEBERRY'S! I DID CHOP UP SOME PECANS AND SPRKINLKED OVER THE TOP JUST PERSONAL PREFERENCE!I WILL KEEP THIS RECIPE SAVED FOR THE FUTURE!
Used a lot more blueberries then called for, made a thick layer and actually think it could have used more. Oddly, it was not so good the first day, but the next day... Awesome!
Frozen blueberries worked! I love the softness of the shortbread. My husband, colleagues loved it and wants the recipe. I used a glass 13'x9' bake pan & would cut down the baking time to 30 min. For the next time I'll bake this, I'm going to cut down the sugar by 1/3 as I want more of the blueberry sweetness! Thanks for the recipe! Punagirl
Not bad. Only next time I would add some lemon zest with the blueberries. Easy to make!
These were good, after reading a few reviews I omitted the five spice powder and added lemon zest. After sprinkling the 3/4 cup of berries it looked sparse so I added another 1/2 cup and truthfully it would have been better with even more. The crust was good, I used confectioners sugar. The overall taste was slightly dry and not quite sweet enough. Next tine I will sprinle sugar over the berry layer and drizzle with lemon juice.
So easy and AMAZING flavor. The first time we didn't have the Chinese 5-spice and they were still good. The second time we had it and we also added some diced strawberries. It was amazing. Thanks again for another food wish granted.
I have a weakness for shortbread. As it happens I also have a weakness for blueberries. This probably couldn't be any better. Used cinnamon and nutmeg instead as my spices.
These are buttery, delicious, and addicting. I didn’t have Chinese five-spice powder, so I made a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and allspice which did the trick. Also, Chef John’s video is an added bonus.
Very crumbly and yummy! I used one pint of blueberries, half white sugar and half brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little vanilla extract. Very good!
Delicious! The only changes I made were to add a few more blueberries just to use up what I had, and instead of Chinese 5 Spice, I used Pampered Chef Cinnamon plus and an extra pinch of cinnamon just because we love it. So easy and delicious. A great way to use up fresh fruit. I think would be great with just about any fruit. Thanks Chef John for another winner!!
This was very good but with no sugar on the berries it was very tart. I did not use the Mexican 5 spice after reading reviews about it. I used Allspice instead. I changed this to make it healthier and used 1/2 whole wheat flour and used splenda. I will make this again!
It was light and airy with a great buttery finish. My husband ate them almost as fast as I cut them.
Didn't work for me. Very crumbly, never really browned and kind of bland. Sorry.
its so delicious . I loved this recipe not too sweet exactly right. thanks chef jhon. God bless you cheers!
These were delicious! I added more blueberries-I used fresh berries as they were on sale in July- than the recipe called for, but I also doubled the recipe and baked it in a lasgane pan. The shortbread is buttery and just the perfect texture and taste. Take your time cutting your pastry and it will turn out perfect. It just takes time to get to that consistency. I will definately be making this again !
I tried this recipe but found it hard to get the bars out of the pan after they cooled. It lacked much flavor. I would have used some almond extract instead for the shortbread crust and topping. They were still good for dessert.
I've made this on several occasions, usually using fresh fruit but sometimes using frozen berries that have been thawed and drained/dried well. It has turned out very well every time. It's a great base for all kinds of fruits, and once I used preserves, which was good, too, but not as good as using fresh fruit. I usually add about 25-30% more fruit than what it calls for, just because I prefer it that way, but following the recipe exactly as written is pretty good, too. Just be sure to watch it carefully during the last few minutes of baking because mine seem to brown up VERY quickly at the end and I've almost burned it once or twice. But overall, it's a great "go to" recipe!
This recipe turned out okay. I didn't have any blueberries on hand, so I ended up using raspberry jam. That was a little too sweet, so I threw in some lemon juice, and some cream cheese, just for fun. The filling turned out great, but what I didn't like was the crust. The egg and the baking powder made it cakey, and the crust was overall very bland. I will probably try these again, but I will use another crust recipe.
I added 3 packages of cream cheese, 3 eggs and sugar as a layer before the blueberries. A good touch. But I thought there was too much cookie for the cheesecake and blueberries. Still it tasted good. Family loved it.
Made as wriiten. Great 4th of July treat. All loved them. Easy and simple. Highly recommended
I really wanted to like this recipe, but I don't think I'll make them again. The Chinese 5 spices overpowered the flavor of the blueberries. I made the recipe as it. Was written
We loved this! Unfortunately for us, my son's dog liked too! He left no crumbs! Already have another in the oven ????
I am rating the original recipe and not a modified version. This recipe was delicious and very easy to make. As per Chef John’s recommendation in the video, I used cinnamon and nutmeg since I did not have the Chinese spice (1/4tsp each). The first time I made this I used 3/4C of blueberries as in the recipe, but we love blueberries so much that now I completely cover the pan with a single layer of blueberries which ends up being about 1 1/2C of blueberries for my 8x8 pan. And I use salted butter now (since that’s what I have on hand) and just omit the salt in the recipe. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
SO delicious I made it 3 times in two weeks! Though I had strawberries on hand, I do love blueberries so will try it that way as well as other fruits. My first attempt was perfect! The next two I had some bumps in the road. Likely from poor eggwhite seperation and maybe a touch too much ice water. I'll keep working on it! :D Everyone in the house loves it!
Delicious! The only modifications I made were: 1.) I used pumpkin pie spice instead of the Chinese five-spice; 2.) I added about 1/2 tsp. more water and 1/4 tsp. almond extract to the crumb mix; and 3.) I used 2 cups of fresh blueberries (3/4 c. didn't even come close to covering the crust in a 9x9 pan). Don't be afraid of the crumbly/dry appearance of the crust mixture. If you give it a pinch with your fingers it should hold its shape. I served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but it holds its shape as a bar if you just want to eat it plain. I will definitely make this again!
Glad I watched the video, because I thought it was more difficult than it was. I used blackberries. I changed it a little. I put vanilla flavor in the freezer for 15 minutes and used cold vanilla drops instead of ice water. I also added the five spice as well as orange rind. I doubled the recipe and it took nearly double the cook time. But thanks to watching the video, I knew when it was done. The blackberries were bubbling and the sides were golden through the glass. Thanks, Chef John. The house smells amazing.
I had to substitute for 5spice, and added more fruit than in the recipe (almost double), but it turned out great!
No I Didn't Change Anything Nor Did I Add Anything... They Came Out So Buttery and Crunchy. Just Delicious.....
simple quick & delicious! cinnamon & nutmeg in place of Chinese five-spice powder, whatever that is! also added some strawberries to the topping.......
Made this recipe today and it was great! I only had enough blueberries for half the recipe so I didn't even use an egg yolk and it still turned out delicious
I absolutely love these bars. My family was begging me to make them again. I have made these bars twice: once with blueberries and the other with raspberries. The blueberry bars were better than the raspberry bars. The raspberries were too tart to just put them in the bars whole. I will definitely be making these regularly due to how quickly they can be made and how tasty the bars are. We cant keep them for more than a couple of hours in this house!
Great recipe!!! I used cherries and it came out wonderful! I didn't use the Chinese 5 spice though, just cinnamon. Not a fan of cloves or anise :-P.
I used peaches, and they turned out delicious!! I would suggest potting some whipped cream on top, or have a glass of milk, because after 1/2 and hour in the oven, (the minimum), they were just a little bit dry, but still great!!
These bars are very tasty, and I have made them several times since finding the recipe. Like many reviewers, I used cinnamon and nutmeg instead of Chinese 5 spice. I also added a pinch of ginger, which gave it a hint of extra flavor. These work well with other fruit. I used apricot preserves in one batch - fantastic!!
I made the recipe as described (with the controversial Chinese Five Spice) and there was a definite licorice undertone. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. I needed to add more water to the cookie dough than recipe called for, but the cookies came out with a good shortbread texture. I'll make this again and substitute nutmeg / cinnamon for the 5 spice.
This was so easy to make and I also loved the the ingredients needed were already in my pantry! Everyone loved them. They came out not to sweet, a perfect finish to our first family picnic but these can also go well with coffee or tea. I will definitely be making these again!
Yummy bar. Not very sweet - this will be good for breakfast tomorrow. Doubled the recipe and baked in a pyrex 11 x 15 pan. Used 1-tsp of cinnamon instead of 5 spice. I also used frozen blueberries and increased to 4-cups (which turned out to be the perfect amount!). Bars were a little crumbly - I used 3 tsp of water but would add a tsp of vanilla next time, and a couple extra tsp of water.
AMAZING!I made it just like the original recipe (with the exception I used frozen blueberries) and loved it. Definitely a keeper!! Thank you!
Added vanilla. Since I didn't have Chinese five-spice, I mixed my own using allspice plus freshly ground cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Used blackberries and peaches. Yes, I will make this again.
Excellent! Easy! Great use of the blueberries from my garden. May add more blueberries next time!
Very good as is! Everyone loved it. Seved with a scoope of vanilla ice cream.
yummy
Made these using fresh blueberries and 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. They turned out just as they look in the photograph but the taste is very plain. Perhaps more spice might help but not enough, in my mind, to cause me to make them again. Both myself and my husband thought they were barely okay.
Just made this and it is awesome! So flaky and delicious. My kids and I just can't stop eating it. I will definitely be making this again.
I changed this up a little bit-- i added cinnamon to the shortbread mix, and also blended some extra blueberries with sugar to make a paste to set down as a layer before putting the single layer of whole blueberries. Everyone loved this-- and next time I'll add more blueberries. This didn't cover the entire pan and I was left with bits of shortbread with no blueberries
Very good! The only thing I didn't have on hand was the 5 spice powder so I substituted allspice and it worked well. I did use more berries only to be able to use up what I had. Thanks again Chef John!
These are so yummy! The video is worth watching to make sure the bars turn out perfectly. I doubled the recipe and it made a large and a very small pan. I used cinnamon and nutmeg instead of Chinese five spice and also added lemon zest. The lemon zest was a very nice addition. I'll definitely make these again,
i love this recipe! i made this for my family and these were gone within an hour! time to make some more!
