Monday, October 17, 2011

Blackberry Pie Bars

 There are many in my house that have a berry obsession.  Including me.

There is just something amazing about raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, huckleberries (which Idaho is famous for and they are really, really good in ice cream) and pretty much every berry you could think of.

Because we love them so much I am always looking for berries to pick.  This year I found the sweetest older couple that lives in our area that grows an entire, massive row of blackberries.  I was so excited to  go get some.  They were absolutely beautiful and taste amazing.

I have been having a grand ole time making all sorts of things; blackberry jam, blackberry sauce, blackberry pie filling, and all sorts of desserts including this deliciousness.

My son really wanted a pie but I really didn't want to make some pie crusts.  So after a quick search on Pinterest I found this.  We loved it.  It had great flavor and it was so much easier than making a real pie.  Plus adding some more blackberries to the top made it even better.

Blackberry Pie Bars


Crust and Topping:
3 cu. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. (3 sticks) butter, chilled
Blackberry Filling:
4 large eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
pinch salt
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. almond extract
2 (16-oz) packages frozen blackberries, thawed and drained ( I used 2 c. of fresh and it worked great)

1.  To make the crust and topping, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.  Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse a few times to mix.  Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes, and add to the flour mixture.  Process until the butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly, 30-60 seconds.  Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to use as the topping.  Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan, and bake 12-15 minutes.  Cool for at least 10 minutes.

2.  To make the filling, whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon zest, and almond extract.  Gently fold in the berries and spoon the mixture over the crust.  Sprinkle the remaining flour mixture evenly over the filling, and bake 45 to 55 minutes.

3.  Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars, or scoop out of the pan to serve cobbler-style.  Enjoy!


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