Blueberry Lemon Puff Pastry Bars

I found these scrumptious looking bars on the blog Sugar Plum and knew that they would be absolutely delicious and what I thought would be an easy way to ease into puff pastry!

Fresh blueberries make these pastries . . .  and making them into a blueberry puree is very therapeutic.  SMASH!  SMASH!  SMASH!  Popping each blueberry is lovely . . . I think I’ve been standing in front of the oven too long and I have gone BERRY nuts!

I found the hardest part of this recipe to be laying out the puff pastry and fighting with it to stay in a rectangle shape!  But, once you get it layed out, on the parchment paper, brush with melted butter, and spoon some blueberry puree on top the top of the bottom piece.

Next up is the messy part!  You have to somehow get the top of the pastry bar in place, without the puree leaking out, and then pinch the edges together!  Jeepers it was tough.  I was also convinced that I didnt have enough blueberry inside, so while I was laying, squeezing, pinching, I was also pouring another spoonful of puree inside!  Clearly, it made a mess.

The mess is slightly disguised once the bars are baked and in their puff pastry glory!  But what helps the most to disguise is the lemon cheesecake spread that goes on top!  Yum!  I had leftover fresh blueberries, so onto the top they went!  Despite the mess, they came out really well.  They got the seal of approval from my critics and I knew I was onto something tasty.

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, stir together blueberries, cornstarch and granulated sugar until well combined; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until blueberries are cooked down and thickened. Process blueberries in a food processor until smooth.

Unfold one pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. Place squares onto cookie sheets; brush with the egg. Place 2 teaspoons of blueberry mixture into the center of each dough square.

Unfold additional pastry sheet on floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14 x 12-inch rectangle. Cut into 16 squares. Place the squares on top of blueberry-topped squares. Crimp and seal edges with a fork. Brush tops of pastry squares with remaining egg. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer pastries to wire racks to cool.

To make the glaze, in a medium bowl, whisk together cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until well combined. Spoon glaze over the tops of pastries.

Makes 16 pastries