Buttermilk Pie Bars

As I'm sure is true with many other bakers, I often have extra buttermilk in the fridge that I don't know what to do with. I happened to see this recipe for buttermilk pie bars at one of these times, and was thrilled to see that it uses 2 cups of buttermilk. The thing I loved about these bars was how incredibly easy they were. And how tasty! They're kind of like a custard bar, and also reminded me a bit of a cheesecake bar (but infinitely easier since you don't have to wait for the cream cheese to come to room temperature or use a Kitchenaid). And they would do well if you wanted to add your favourite spices, flavours or fruits to them, though I loved them plain.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cream Cheese Swirl Blondies
Eggnog Bars
Tres Leches Cake
Pecan Tassies
Buttermilk Honey Bread

Buttermilk Pie Bars
Adapted from Baking Bites

Crust
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour and salt until mixture is crumbly. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press into an even layer. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until it just begins to turn golden brown.

While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a food processor, combine all filling ingredients and whisk (or pulse) until mixture is well combined and very smooth.

When crust is done, pour the filling into the hot crust and return to oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until filling is just set. Cool bars on a wire rack. Chill before slicing.