We always loved having cornbread for dinner because it felt like we were skipping right to dessert. Well, these Blueberry Cornbread Bars must have read our minds, because we’re jumping right into our favorite course of any meal. Could you believe that your favorite crumbly, buttery, sweet cornbread might get even sweeter?! With the addition of mouth-tingling blueberries (in jam-form AND fruit-form) and a citrusy glaze, it certainly does. To balance things out just a smidge, spicy cinnamon and crunchy pecans get added to the cornbread batter and y’all, it comes together to be the dessert we’ve been dreaming of all these years. From now on, we know you’ll save cornbread for dessert in the form of Blueberry Cornbread Bars… and hey, we won’t judge if you end up eating them before dinner. Something this good is hard to wait for!
Ingredients
For the cornbread bars:
- 1 (8.5-ounce) box cornbread mix
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
- 1/2 cup blueberry jam
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the lemon glaze:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 lemon, zested
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Generously grease a cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch square baking pan.
Step 3 –In a large mixing bowl, add the cornbread mix and the all-purpose flour and mix to combine.
Step 4 –Add the lemon zest from 1 lemon, the lemon juice from 1 lemon, and the vanilla to the cornbread mixture and lightly stir to combine.
Step 5 –Cut the butter into the cornbread mixture until the butter breaks up into small pieces and the cornbread mixture resembles wet sand.
Step 6 –Use wet fingers or a silicone spatula to pat 2/3 of the cornbread mixture into the prepared cast-iron skillet.
Step 7 –In a microwave-safe bowl, add the blueberry jam and microwave until it melts, about 20 seconds.
Step 8 –Stir the blueberries into the blueberry jam, then spread the mixture over the cornbread layer.
Step 9 –Add the brown sugar, the chopped pecans, and the cinnamon to the remaining cornbread mixture and stir until combined.
Step 10 –Crumble the brown sugar-cornbread mixture over the blueberry mixture.
Step 11 –Place the skillet on the middle rack in the oven and bake until the brown sugar mixture is golden-brown and the blueberries are bubbling around the edges, and the internal temperature is between 205 degrees F and 210 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes.
Step 12 –Let the cornbread cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 13 –In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar.
Step 14 –Add the remaining lemon zest and the remaining lemon juice to the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the juice at a time, until it reaches a drizzling consistency.
Step 15 –Drizzle the glaze over the cornbread.
Step 16 –Slice and serve.
