I’ve been struggling for the past few hours with what to tell you in conjunction with these Blackberry Pie Bars.
I thought maybe we could talk about how I’m still totally dragging my feet about going to my ten year high school reunion. ย No… that’s been done. ย Boring.
Maybe we could talk about how I sat around a campfire with Andrea Zuckerman… a characterย from that show Beverly Hills 90210, but that was actually just a dream I had last night. ย Not real.
We could chat about the weather? ย Seen any good movies lately?
No? ย Ok… let’s not fight this.
Let’s get on to the bars. ย They’re good. ย Really good. ย Good enough to not need a silly introduction.
Think of these bars as your escape from the land of pie baking. ย Maybe you don’t need an escape, but let’s be honest… putting together a pie crust can be a pain in the rear sometimes. ย Problem solved. ย Just press this crust into the bottom of a pan, top it with creamy fruit filling, sprinkle it with more crust bits and you’re in business.
The result is pure summer blackberry goodness. ย The recipe includes directions for either frozen or fresh fruit. ย If you’re using frozen berries, just be sure to defrost the berries and drain the excess juices. ย What about raspberries or blueberries instead of blackberries? ย Those would probably work too! ย Just stay away from strawberries.
Blackberry Pie Bars with Lemon Sugar
adapted from The Pastry Queen
Crust and Topping
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
zest of two lemons
Blackberry Filling
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 ย (16-ounce) packages frozen blackberries, defrosted and drained
(You can also use 6 cups of fresh blackberries, or 1 (16-ounce) package frozen blackberries and 3 cups of fresh blackberries)
To make the crust and topping-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. ย Grease a 9 x 13-inch backing pan with butter or cooking spray and set aside. ย Zest two lemons. ย Measure out the sugar onto a clean work surface. ย Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with a bench scraper or the back of a spoon. ย Rubbing the zest into the sugar will release oils from the zest and create a lemon scentedย sugar.
Combine lemon sugar, flour, salt and butter in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment. ย Beat the ingredients on medium speed until the mixture looks dry and crumbly.
Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the crust mixture to use as the topping. ย Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan. ย Bake the crust for 12 to 15 minutes until it is golden brown. ย Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
To make the filling-
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. ย Add the sugar, sour cream, flour and salt. ย Gently fold in the blackberries. ย Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. ย You may have to distribute the blackberries evenly around.
Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the filling. ย Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is lightly browned. ย Cool for 1 hour before slicing.
**If you’re using frozen berries, be sure to defrost and drain the excess liquid. ย Place the frozen berries on a plate in the refrigerator overnight. ย They’re defrosted and ready for bar baking!
158 Responses
Recipe does look great but I’m no to blackberries – believe maybe I’d try blueberries or raspberries.
I am making these right now. I made the mistake of using a 9×13 glass pan instead, though, and my pie bars are super thick. The crust took double the time to bake. We’ll see how they turn out…next time, I just need to wash my backing pan and use it like you said to!!