We’re all friends here, right?
I can tell you things.
I can tell you things like… how I put sour cream on just about everything that I ate yesterday.
Sour cream on my granola. Sour cream on eggs. Sour cream on kale. Sour cream in my dessert. Sour cream… everywhere.
I feel a little guilty.. but certainly not guilty enough to stop.
I also feel a little guilty about how I’m equally obsessed with watching The Real Housewives of New York City and wearing chipped gunmetal silver nail polish on my nails. Both are tacky as all heck… still though… I’m all up on it.
Today… berry cobbler bars. Because it’s just about summer and you should. They have sour cream in them. Of course they do. Welcome to my obsession.
These pie bars are my favorite way to make a summer pie, without actually having to make a pie. I’m a huge fan of a good, old press in shortbread crust. So buttery and crisp. The filling is creamy and berry studded with an alluring tang from the sour cream.
Feel free to use fresh berries, or frozen berries, or a combination of fresh and frozen. I love the combination of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. I would stay away from strawberries for this recipe. They hold lots of water that might interfere with the sour cream filling.
Berry Cobbler Pie Bars
adapted from The Pastry Queen
makes one half sheet pan of bars
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
Berry Filling
4 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 (16-ounce) packages frozen mixd berries, defrosted and drained
(You can also use 6 cups of fresh berries, or 1 (16-ounce) package frozen berries and 3 cups of fresh berries)
To make the crust and topping-
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a half sheet baking pan (12×17-inch) with butter or cooking spray and set aside. If you use a 9×13-inch baking pan you’ll have thicker bars. Zest two lemons. Measure out the sugar onto a clean work surface. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar with a bench scraper or the back of a spoon. Rubbing the zest into the sugar will release oils from the zest and create a lemon scented sugar.
Combine lemon sugar, flour, salt and butter in an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment. 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. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 12 to 15 minutes until it is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes while you make the filling.
To make the filling-
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the sugar, sour cream, flour and salt. Gently fold in the berries. Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. You may have to distribute the berries evenly around.
Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the filling. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Cool for 1 hour before slicing.
**If you’re using frozen berries, be sure to defrost and drain the excess liquid. Place the frozen berries on a plate in the refrigerator overnight. They’re defrosted and ready for bar baking!
111 Responses
I just made these for my boyfriend who is training for a marathon. I thought it would be a good, delicious snack, but with the berries at least has a little fruit. ;) I used the yogurt instead of sour cream and so far, so good, but I haven’t tried them yet.
Does anyone know if I can leave these out on the counter overnight? I didn’t know with the sour cream/yogurt, or whatever you use, I should store these in the refrigerator?
Anyone know?
i would keep them in the fridge. what a lovely girlfriend you are!
Joy. This recipe was the best idea ever! I used half frozen half fresh blue, rasp, and blackberries. My crust dough was more smooth than shaggy (must have beat it too long) and my filling started overflowing the pan, BUT what I got after I baked it and let it refrigerate overnight was pure baking amazingness. People I did not even know could not stop telling me how freaking fantastic it was! Thank you, and thank you for your delightful posts always.
Can you make these the night before and then refrigerate them?
absolutely!! happy baking!
I just majorly splurged at the farmers’ market on 2 pints of raspberries…but I think it will definitely be worth it for these pie bars!
First, I probably make 1-2 of your recipes a week. Whenever I try a new recipe in my house now, my girlfriend is all “Is this one of Joy’s recipes? Okay then, it should be good.”
Second, I successfully used strawberries by doubling the amount of flour in my filling to absorb the extra water. My filling is absolutely perfect.
there was definitely not enough dough for me. :( it’s still delish, just soggy. i used a 9×13 though, maybe that’s why it’s soggy. but i didn’t have even nearly enough dough for the top.
I made these today for a Memorial Day cook-out with my family and some close friends. Everybody raved about how delicious they were. Thanks for the recipe, Joy!
I definetly have to try. It looks delicious. Maybe apple or strawberries would be fine for me.
These bars are delicious! They have become the staple dessert I bring to summer outings! YUM!
Thank you Joy for this wonderful recipe. It reminds me so much of the dewberry cobblers my mom made while I was growing up. Last night I got to make one for her. We all loved it even my picky husband! And it was so nice to look at too. You are giving me a great reputation.
Ohh this looks delicious. What tool is that, next to the knife?
Woah! This looks truly delicious. Also, I’m as impressed by your photography as I am about your dessert.
oooo these look awesome!
These are greaaatttt!! I make the blackberry version and never thought to use other berries, what a ditz I am. I planted blueberry bushes this year and can’t wait to get some berries to make this again.
These look sooo good and I am a die-hard sour cream fan! One question…I mail a monthly goodie to my 86 yr old grandmother and my father in law who’s in his 70’s….do you think these would hold up in the mail without ice packs? Or would they go bad with the sour cream in them?
That looks and sounds absolutely divine. I’ve never made cobbler before but I have a ton of fresh berries just looking for a recipe to be in. Love cobbler, love berries and I like the idea of sour cream in its filling. I’m going to try this tomorrow!
Hello Joy!!
What a perfect dessert this would be!!
Looks so appetizing too!
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM,….lovely food!
There’s a raspberry crumb bar sold in the cafeteria at the hospital I’m currently working at and I’ve had two in the past week. Today, I thought to myself that I should try and replicate it since it’s so good and I’ll miss it when I move on to a new hospital in a couple months. And here you went and created it for me! Thanks :)
Wow, you’ve REALLY got my mouth watering with those smothered berries…YUMMM!
And your site is perfectly ADORABLE. I’m really enjoying your creativity; thanks for posting!
Joy,
Could you use rhubarb instead of berries? If so, how?
Thanks,
Jen
rhubard substitution would make this a completely different recipe. it’s not a simple substitution i’m afraid.
hi joy,
also confused regarding the 9 x 13 vs. half sheet pan?
double if doing whole sheet pan? meaning cookie sheet? please advise as soon as you can. would love to have these as my mother’s day dessert.
sorry for the confusion. i think this recipe is best made in a half sheet pan (about 12×17-inch). if you use a 9×13-inch pan you’ll simply have thicker bars.
if you wanted to double this recipe, you would use a full sheet pan. the giant kind.
hope that helps!
i’m making these for mother’s day! perfect :D
Oh my goodness…these are out on my kitchen counter cooling right now and look positively delicious! I had strawberries that needed desperately to be used and picked up some blueberries as well. Can’t wait to try this for dessert tonight!
My God! These look so good, I think I’ll make them for my Mom on Mother’s day. I’m a little confused about the pan size though. Should I use a 9 x 13 or a half sheet pan? Or is it my call? Or are they the same thing, and I’ve spent my whole life not knowing this??? Please help me.
Oooh, YUM! Blueberries must be on the brain this week. :-) I made Blueberry Pudding Cake last night and my house smells SO GOOD! :-)
Joy, what a wonderful recipe! I love cobbler, crisps, crumbles… I’ll be trying these soon.
Joy, I am going to attempt a cherry version. What can I substitute the sour cream for? I’d love to make these for my college project sans sour cream (sorry for the blasphemy) ;)
*love*
sans yogurt too :/ I know borrrrring
I always stir sour cream into my scrambled eggs! It’s amazing! These bars look soooo good. I can’t bring myself to make anything with 3 sticks of butter though. It might taste so good that all other food would taste of cardboard :)
Wow, I would make this recipe with whole cranberry sauce…Thanks for this one!
These sound perfect! I think I will make these this weekend!
Looks yummy! Can’t wait to try these bars and serve at a summer bbq
Why is chipped nail polish so satisfying? My own chipped ballpoint pen blue has been making me very happy lately.
holy moly that sounds (and looks) so good!
Oooh wow this looks delicious, i love the look of it, bet it was so tasty!
Must be lovely indeed, this afternoon though I’ll be trying your banana coconut vegan bread, and yesterday I had a go at your wholewheat chocolate chip cookies, my husband says you’re absolutely the best and that you deserve a Nobel prize for your efforts on behalf of the happiness of the world!
yum yum! can i have some? :)
Joy! The brownie pie! When? please… berries… and then brownie pie? Count me IN!
Oh, JOY! These look waaayyyy too good!
Sour cream. Sour cream obsession sounds like a good obsession.
Me too.
Dear Joy,
You’re the most awesome baker EVER! Thank you for the inspiration. I made these tonight after I saw the post. They came out soooo good. My fiance, who’s usually super, and annoyingly, picky even LOVED them. I tweaked the recipe a bit. When I opened up my sour cream, there was mold in there so I used plain whole milk yogurt instead. And, instead of frozen berries I used frozen cherries and threw in a dash of almond extract to the mix. Finally, because there’s only 3 of us around here and I don’t want to be accused of making people plump, I halved the recipe. It was delicioso! thank you! thank you!
omigosh i have a bag of frozen berries and i know just what to do!
I am SO making this!!!
Thanks sweetie!
The pie looks gorgeous! I love reading your entries so please continue to rant and rave about your sugary obsessions!
Wwowowo ! this looks tummy! :)
and i love all berries !!
thanks Joy!
Thanks for sharing your obsession with us! I look forward to indulging in your gift of this recipe. Yesss!!
Will try these this weekend! Look scrumptious!!!
totally delicious looking! printed off recipe, and will add to my grocery list!
I wish I could have seen what they looked like sliced. Also, in your picture, it shows the baking pan lined with foil, but your directions don’t call for that. So, should you or not???
Thanks!
Oh, my Lord. Now I have to make berry cobbler pie bars. It’s 10pm and I need to find some berries. YUM!!!
Oh my, I’m drooling! These bars look sooooo yummy!
oh joy. your recipes make me so happy. my thighs, not so much, but we won’t talk about that :)
I’m totally on a sour cream kick too! I’ve been thinking of my meals in terms of, hmmm…what can I have sour cream on?
this. is. heaven.
Incredible… You know what I love? I love berries in baked goods. Because they’re so sweet and bursting with flavour. Literally. You know how berries burst into hot, gooey juices when they’re baked? Yeah. Um. Yum????
These look beautifully delicious. I want one. :D
Wei-Wei
I can tell…these pie bars are soo good for the soul!
Yum-o!!
Oh! I can’t wait to make these! I’ve never made pie bars before, and I’ve been missing out.
THANK YOU for posting this!! I saw KitchyKitchen’s pictures from the wicked party you threw this weekend, and I’ve been dreaming about these bars ever since. These WILL be on the menu this weekend (it would be sooner, but since I’ve got work and kids…). Now, if only I can finagle that pecan bar recipe out of you… ;)
Oh, yum!!! And Joy, we must be foot-twins. I’m rocking chipped silver polish too. Gotta love it! And these bars are totally obsession-worthy. Anything that makes pie portable. I’m thinking that maybe cherry-berry bars would be fun – half berries, half cherry. I’m on a cherry kick.
Yum Yum, I am such a fan of both sour cream and the Real Housewives of New York. The Jersey season started up again last night, and they are totally my fave. Bars look great, I love the Pastry Queen.
I’m also obsessed with sour cream! These bars look amazing!
I am starving!! I love shortbread and the berries just make my mouth water. Can’t wait to try this.
my mouth is watering onto my keyboard!!
Yum! For sure making this for my family, if there is any left! HA!
To me, a cobbler or a pie etc is only as good as its crust! The crust is often the best part. This one looks perfectly buttery delicious.
You know, that cobbler might be kinda nice… but that picture of the raw filling? I’d gobble that up in an instant! It looks so creamy, fruity, smooth, refreshing. I’ll even pass on the crust if I can just get the filling NOW!
I can’t wait to make this…looks yummy! I just discovered your website and I am loving it so much! GLad to hear I am not alone in my obsession with trashy reality TV!
was seriously just looking for a filling for my shortbread crust recipe! thanks hun!
Amazing. I’m going to make some sort of pie bars this weekend and these look lovely!
Shortbread and cobbler what an awesome combination!
Love this! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Everything is better with sour cream on it!! Recently I’ve been useing non fat Greek Yogurt w/ a bit of salt to take the place of topping things with sour cream. Twice the protein of regular yogurt and way creamier!! Can’t wait to make these
Do you eat sour cream from a spoon like my DH? That would be a confession I’d love to see you make. :)
Looks delicious!
So weird. I had bookmarked the Blackberry Pie Bars from last year and was just giving it another look this morning. Then, you post another one this afternoon! Creepy lady. :P
Oh Joy! Say it isn’t so!!!! This recipe looks devine! Can’t wait to try it!!!!
What a coincidence?!? I also love watching Real Housewives and wearing tacky chipped nail polish! =)
About your sour cream kick… Ever tried mixing some sugar into sour cream and pouring it all over STRAWBERRIES!? One of my guilty pleasures… shh! =D
Sour Cream? You didn’t beat me, Joy… Today I added a horrible amount of sweet 30% fat cream to my chicken which I had already fried in unimaginable amounts of butter. And guess what – it was delicious.
good gosh – this looks incredible! I am SO on it! (It’s fine to have pie for breakfast, right?!)
mmmmmm…sour cream is delicious – but even more delicious looking are these bars! Putting this in my must try recipe folder right now!
pie bars = awesome idea.
I think i’ll be trying this with apple or an apple/blueberry mix soon.
I used to do something like this with yogurt instead of sour cream, and that was pretty delish, so I’m guessing a sour cream version would be even better.
And to semi-answer The MuffinTin’s question, I’ve also done it with apricots, and that was good, so peaches or nectarines should be pretty damn hot too.
Hey Joy, just a quick question. Berries are almost impossible to find here (in Israel), and when you do, they’re way out of my price range. Do you think I could make these with stone fruit – maybe peaches or nectarines?
Isn’t Bravo TV the best?! Personally, my heart is with Top Chef and Real Housewives of New Jersey. I just made a yummy cornbread the other day with honey and sour cream. It gives it a depth that is missing in other cornbread recipes.
These bars look delish! Thanks for the advice about not using strawberries.
I love your website. Thanks for sharing yourself.
These bars look delish…addicted to the New Jersey Housewives :D
Cool for one hour?! But I wanna eat ’em NOW!
Guess what I am going home to bake today??? They look so flavorful.
Looks absolutely delicious. A must try for me!
This looks so yummy :)
this looks so simple and delicious! i will make this weekend for SURE
can’t say that i was RHofNY, but i do like the sounds of the nail polish!
the cobbler bars look extra yum, and the sour cream fixation is certainly no problem :)
this is next on my baking to do list. and i LOVE LOVE LOVE the real housewives!!! did you see the first episode of season two for new jersey!? oh snaps. it is going to be one drama filled season and i love it.
So…..I always use salted butter. Is that bad?
That first photo looks so delicious!
And doesn’t everybody watch RH of NY? I mean, where else do you get culture?
I think I could eat sour cream with every meal too! Or full fat greek yogurt, which is like sour cream to me.
I absolutely agree. If yogurt and sour cream are interchangeable in most circumstances, and they are, then you just had a healthy serving of yogurt throughout the day. Also, those bars look fantastic.
Pie bars?! How incredible do these look? I love a struesal topping, too. I’m wondering how they would be with apple??