I remember stopping once on a road trip to pick wild blackberries in the mountains of Washington.  There just isn’t a more perfect treat than fresh fruit off the vine.  We took those berries home to made jams and pies and of course froze some to enjoy later in the winter.

If you are one that has a fear of making pie crust, these blackberry pie bars are your perfect solution.  I won’t say they taste just like a blackberry pie – it more like a crumble in a bar, but they certainly have that tantalizing taste of fresh blackberries, and are easy to make.  There’s no need to roll out pastry- just press the dough in the bottom of your pan and pour on a fresh fruit filling.  All that’s left is to sprinkle the topping and bake for an incredible berry treat.

If you just can’t wait for the bars to cool enough to cut, go ahead – just spoon it out while it’s still warm and add a big scoop of ice cream!  Who could blame you?

If you love that blackberry flavor, you’ll also want to try Blackberry Cobbler– another easy favorite; or you’ll love our Summer Berry Pie with blackberries and peaches substituted {yes, you’ll need a pie crust for this one- but well worth it.}

Blackberry Pie Bars

Crust and Topping

3 cups all purpose flour

1½ cups sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter

Fruit Filling

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup sour cream

¾ cup all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen blackberries, defrosted and drained

TO MAKE THE CRUST AND TOPPING:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; process until combined, about 45 seconds. Cut the butter into ½-inch cubes. Process the butter with the flour mixture for 30 to 60 seconds, until the butter is evenly distributed but the mixture is still crumbly. (If you do not have a food processor, you can use an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Combine the ingredients on medium speed until the mixture looks dry and crumbly.  You can also use your pastry cutter and work it by hand.)

Reserve 1½ 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. Cool for at least 10 minutes.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

Whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar, sour cream, flour, and salt. Gently fold in the blackberries. Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the reserved crust mixture evenly over the filling.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Cool at least 1 hour before cutting into bars.

Tip: Defrosting berries may take longer than you think. These bars come together in a hurry unless you need to wait a few hours for the berries to thaw and drain. Put the bags of berries into a plastic grocery bag so the thawed juice does not get all over the place and leave them in the refrigerator overnight. They’ll be thawed and ready to drain the next day.

recipe from The Pastry Queen: Royally Good Recipes from the Texas Hill Country’s Rather Sweet Bakery & Café, by Rebecca Rather