Concord Grape Pie Bars: Irresistible Recipe With the Best Buttery Crumb Topping

Concord Grape Pie Bars With a Buttery Crumb Topping

Concord grape pie bars pair the deep flavor of ripe grapes with a firm shortbread crust and a buttery crumb topping. The filling uses the grapes’ skins as well as their pulp, preserving the fruit’s dark color and characteristic floral aroma.

Concord grapes contain seeds and have “slip skins,” which separate easily from the pulp. Preparing them takes some time, but the process is straightforward: remove the skins, cook the pulp, strain out the seeds, and return the skins to the strained fruit. The finished bars are easier to portion and serve than a traditional grape pie.

Essential Concepts

• Separate the grape skins before cooking the pulp.
• Strain the softened pulp to remove every seed.
• Cool the filling before assembling the bars.
• Chill the baked bars before cutting clean squares.

Concord Grape Pie Bars Recipe

These homemade fruit pie bars use one crumb mixture for both the shortbread crust and topping. The filling must be thick enough to stay in place after slicing, so cornstarch supplements the grapes’ natural pectin.

Yield: 24 small bars or 16 large bars
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Cooling time: About 3 hours
Total time: About 4 hours 35 minutes

Equipment

• 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cm) metal baking pan
• Parchment paper
• Medium saucepan
• Fine-mesh sieve or food mill
• Mixing bowls
• Pastry cutter, fork, or food processor
• Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
• Wire cooling rack

Ingredients

For the fresh grape filling

• 5 cups Concord grapes, about 2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 g)
• 1/4 cup cornstarch (30 g)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional

For the shortbread crust and buttery crumb topping

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (360 g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 1/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (285 g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (5 ml)

How to Remove Seeds From Concord Grapes

Grape seed removal is the most labor-intensive part of the recipe. Trying to pick the seeds from raw grapes is slow and wastes pulp. Cooking and straining the pulp is more efficient.

Rinse the grapes under cool running water and remove them from their stems. Discard any grapes with mold, fermented odors, or leaking flesh.

Hold one grape between a finger and thumb, with the stem end facing a bowl. Pinch the opposite end gently. The pulp should slip out while the skin remains between the fingers. Place the pulp in a saucepan and the skin in a separate bowl.

Continue until all the grapes are separated. Refrigerate the skins while cooking the pulp.

Set the saucepan over medium heat. Cook the grape pulp for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until it breaks down and the seeds loosen. Press the hot pulp through a fine-mesh sieve with a spatula. A food mill fitted with a fine disk also works. Discard the seeds.

Examine the strained pulp for any seeds that slipped through. Concord grape seeds are hard and unpleasant to bite, so thorough inspection is warranted.

Preparing the Fresh Grape Filling

Return the strained pulp to the saucepan and add the reserved grape skins. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cinnamon, if using.

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, so the skins soften.

Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the warm grape liquid and stir until smooth. Pour the slurry into the saucepan while stirring the filling.

Cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. The filling should become glossy and thick enough for a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan to leave a visible path for a moment. Remove the pan from the heat.

Transfer the filling to a shallow bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Hot filling can melt the unbaked crumb mixture, producing a greasy or dense layer between the crust and fruit.

Making the Shortbread Crust and Crumb Topping

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving enough paper over two sides to lift out the baked slab.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and vanilla. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture contains fine crumbs and small, pea-size pieces.

A food processor may be used instead. Pulse briefly and stop as soon as the mixture holds together when squeezed. Extended processing warms the butter and can make the baked crust hard rather than crumbly.

Set aside about one-third of the mixture for the topping. Press the remaining two-thirds firmly and evenly into the prepared pan. A flat-bottomed measuring cup works well for compacting the crust, especially along the edges.

Bake the crust for 14 to 17 minutes. It should look dry across the surface and show faint browning at the edges, but it should not be fully browned.

Assembling and Baking the Grape Dessert Squares

Spread the cooled grape filling over the warm crust, leaving a border of about 1/4 inch (6 mm) along the sides. The narrow border reduces the chance that the filling will stick to the pan.

Scatter the reserved crumb mixture over the fruit. Keep some pieces small and pinch others into clusters about the size of a hazelnut. Do not press the topping into the filling.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350°F (175°C). The buttery crumb topping should be light golden brown, and the filling should bubble gently near the edges.

Place the pan on a wire rack. Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 2 hours, then refrigerate them for 1 hour before slicing. Warm grape filling remains fluid and can pull the crust apart if cut too soon.

Lift the slab from the pan using the parchment paper. Cut with a large, sharp knife, wiping the blade between cuts. For 24 bars, make four rows along the short side and six rows along the long side.

Choosing and Adjusting Concord Grapes

Fully ripe Concord grapes are dark blue-purple and release readily from their stems. Their aroma should be floral and distinctly grapelike. Pale, firm grapes tend to produce a filling with sharper acidity and less developed flavor.

Sweetness varies by growing region, weather, and harvest date. Before adding the cornstarch, taste a cooled spoonful of the cooked grape mixture. Add another tablespoon or two of sugar if the fruit is markedly tart. Large additions of sugar can make the filling loose because sugar draws water from the fruit, so avoid changing the quantity by more than about 1/4 cup (50 g) without adjusting the thickener.

Wild grapes should not be substituted unless they have been positively identified as edible. Some unrelated plants bear fruit that resembles grapes, and several are toxic.

Preventing a Soggy Crust

Three details keep the shortbread crust firm beneath the fruit:

• Prebake the crust. The initial 14 to 17 minutes set the flour and butter before the moist filling is added.
• Thicken and cool the filling. A hot or watery