There are a lot of things that Magnolia Bakery does right but what it does best are classic American desserts that aren’t fussy or pretentious and — even though they’re made out of a world-renowned bakery — just take like home. Case in point, this Blueberry Jamboree. It’s more or less an icebox cake that combines simple ingredients into an almost no-bake confection that’s served up in slices to share cool and creamy blueberry-topped joy far and wide. Or maybe just in your own kitchen… that’s the joy of a copycat recipe, it’s all for you and your loved ones.
The first order of business here is the topping because you want enough time to cook those blueberries down a bit and to chill it. You just combine blueberries in a saucepan with some white and brown sugar, cook it until the sugar has dissolved, and then stir in a cornstarch slurry to thicken things up. Some more blueberries go in at the end (with some lemon zest too) so you have some nice and saucy berries and some that still have a fresh pop. It’s delightful.
Then there’s the crust. It’s the only part that requires baking and it’s a short stint at that. You’ll process some pecans in the food processor, nice and fine…… and mix them up with some flour and melted butter into a nutty but doughy mass. You’ll press that into a baking dish and give it fifteen minutes to set up in the oven.
While it bakes, you’ll work on the filling and while you might see Cool Whip in desserts like this, here you’re going for cool and creamy authenticity with real homemade whipped cream. (Nothing beats it!) Just whip the cream until it starts to thicken, and then add some powdered sugar and continue beating it until it’s pretty stiff. In a separate bowl, you’ll beat some cream cheese until it’s smooth, and then stir the two together until they’re combined and creamy. There’s no chance of lumps with the two bowl method.
Ingredient
FOR THE TOPPING:
3 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
FOR THE CRUST:
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
FOR THE FILLING:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar
16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION
First, make the topping:
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add 2 cups of the blueberries, both sugars, and mix until sugar has dissolved.
In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the 1 tablespoon cold water, then pour into the blueberry mixture. Stir until thickened.
Add lemon zest, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Stir in remaining blueberries. Transfer to a bowl and let cool 5 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool completely.
While blueberry topping chills, make the crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the melted butter, flour, and chopped pecans until well combined. Press mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking dish.
Bake crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the filling.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream and vanilla until starting to thicken. Gradually add powered sugar and continue beating until thick, but not stiff.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Fold whipped cream mixture into cream cheese until combined.
Spread mixture over cooled crust, then top with chilled blueberry topping.
Chill until ready to serve, at least 1 hour. Enjoy!