These triple berry pie bars are the ultimate summertime dessert. Raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries mix together with a sweet rolled-oats crumb topping to make a mouthwatering bite.
Summertime Triple Berry Pie Bars
With the warm weather and sun shining through daily, I have pie on the brain — well, pie bars, to be exact. Pie bars are exactly what they sound like. A bite-sized version of pie that is cut into bars. The pie bars are an excellent idea for when you want to make a pie but don't feel like dealing with all the details and work that goes into making a pie from scratch.
While you can fill these pie bars with almost anything, I chose a triple-berry combo this round. Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are so sweet this time of year that you really don't have to do much to them to make them stand out. They cook down with a touch of sugar before hitting the oven to get that signature gooey pie-filling texture.
Don't think that the flavors are lacking just because these bars are a shortcut to pie. The bars still have that gooey fruit center, and a sweet rolled oat crust sprinkled on top. The triple berry pie bars are a great summertime dessert, excellent to bring to a BBQ, and taste even better with a scoop of ice cream.
Looking for more summertime desserts? Check out my chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches and key lime pie bars.
Why I Love These Triple Berry Pie Bars
- Summer Favorite - The fresh berries pair perfectly with a day of sunshine.
- All Occasions - The bars are the perfect dessert, no matter the occasion.
- Quick and Simple - The bars are easy to put together and don't require much fuss in the kitchen.
Ingredients Needed For Triple Berry Pie Bars
See below for all the details on what you'll need to make the full recipe.
- Berries - A mix of chopped strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries.
- Cornstarch - Helps to thicken up the berry mixture.
- Rolled Oats - Forms the crust to the pie bars
- Lemons - The juice and zest add a tangy flavor that adds a nice balance to the bars.
- Butter - Melt the butter to help bind the crust together.
Directions For How To Make Triple Berry Pie Bars
- Prepare.
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8-inch pan with grease and parchment paper. Set to the side.
- Make the shortbread crust.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Add in the melted butter and mix to combine.
- Bake the shortbread crust.
Add ⅔ of the crust mixture to the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to smooth out the crust so it is flat. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
- Make the pie filling.
While the crust bakes, make the pie filling. Combine the fruit in a saucepan with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.
- Bake the bars.
When the crust is set, remove the bars from the oven and pour the fruit mixture over them. Add the remaining rolled oat topping over the fruit mixture. Bake the bars for 45-55 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
These bars taste just as good — maybe even better — with a simple spoonful of vanilla ice cream. The combination is classic for a reason. The bars also taste great with whipped cream or powdered sugar on top.
Make Ahead and Storage
The bars taste best fresh, so I would avoid making them ahead. If you have to make the bars beforehand, make them one day in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Keep any extra bars in an airtight container for 3-5 days. The bars will get slightly mushy, so keeping them in the fridge is best.
Tips and Variations
- Fruit Swap - These bars taste great with just about any fruit filling in the middle. Try peaches, plums, cherries, or a combination of a few.
- Crust Ratio - Don't worry about running out of topping, so much so that you lack a bottom crust. Make sure you have even for a solid layer, and then use the remaining to cover the fruit on the top. It's perfectly fine if the topping covers only some of the fruit on top.
- Square Cut - If you want a fine square cut on these bars, let them cool fully. I know they taste better slightly warm, but they will be much harder to cut.
FAQs
There are three different berries in triple berry. These pie bars include strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. However, you can sub in blackberries as well.
Yes! The berry filling can be used to make pie. You can either make a crust from scratch or buy a premade crust and fill it with the berry mixture.
Frozen berries can be swapped in if you don't have access to fresh berries. Because they are frozen, they may have slightly more liquid, so they will need to simmer on the stove for a minute or two longer.
Triple Berry Pie Bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare an 8x8 pan with parchment and grease. Set to the side.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Add in melted butter and mix to combine.
- Add about ⅔ of the crust mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula to flatten out the mixture.
- Bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes.
- While the crust is baking, make the berry filling. Roughly chop the strawberries and add the blueberries and raspberries whole into a saucepan. Add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and zest into the saucepan and combine. Cook the mixture on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Take the crust out of the oven and pour the fruit mixture over top. Use the remaining crust as a topping, pouring it over the fruit topping to cover the majority of the filling.
- Place the pie bars in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes. When they are ready, the fruit will bubble from the bars.
- Let the bars fully cool in the pan before slicing. This ensures clean slices.
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