Blackberry Pie Bars

Blackberries are in season here right now, and since I have a great hubby that works outdoors...he finds the best blackberry patches that are just there for the picking. There is just something calming to me about berry picking or any kind of picking for that matter. I could pick for hours and I did just that with these berries. It makes me happy! :)

We had a cookout with our church this past Sunday and had so much fun! I made these to take. I don't know..but when we have a get together and I need to take something, bars always come to mind. They are easy to just pick up and go.

These bars have a sweet crust with a moist, gooey filling and then the crunch on top. I will make them again and probably try different berries in them or maybe peaches!

Blackberry Pie Bars

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
Zest of one lemon
Pinch of salt

1. Rub zest of lemon into sugar using the back of the spoon creating a lemon scented sugar.

2. In the bowl of your mixer, dump in flour, sugar/lemon zest mixture, butter and salt. Beat with the paddle attachment for a couple of minutes until the dough comes together in small chunks.

3. Press half of the dough into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan. Set aside the remaining dough.
4. Bake the dough for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Let cool for 10 minutes.

For the filling:
2 large eggs1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 cups blackberries (if using frozen, thaw and drain first)

1. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, sour cream and flour to the eggs. Mix well and then fold blackberries.

2. Pour blackberries over baked crust and spread evenly.

3. Sprinkle the reserved dough on top of the blackberry mixture and bake for 50-60 minutes.

4. Let cool one hour before serving.

Happy 4th of July!

How about celebrating with this Red, White and Blue Cream Cheese Poundcake, except I used blackberries instead of blueberries. The cream cheese makes this cake dense and moist, with the tang of the cream cheese, mixed with the sweetness of the berries and you can't resist another piece! This is another link that Beth sent my way and you can find the original recipe here.

Happy 4th of July!! Have a safe and fun day celebrating our freedom!

Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened, but not quite room temperature

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened slightly

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

6 ounces raspberries

6 ounces fresh blueberries---I used blackberries

lemon glaze (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, and place on a cookie sheet.

2. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese. Pour in sugar and mix until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well until each is incorporated.

3. While ingredients are mixing, whisk together four, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add flour mixture to the wet ingredients.

4. Fold berries into batter.

5. Distribute batter evenly into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Let cool completely. Drizzle with lemon glaze.

Lemon Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar

juice of 1 lemon

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add more juice or cream as necessary to achieve desired consistency.

Blackberry Jam

I am told that my great grandmother was very domesticated. She always made fried pies, or a cake from scratch. Every day there was something sweet that she had made. She quilted, embroidered, made jams. I guess that is where I get it from. My mom and nanny and mamaw do not like to do any of the above. But me, I want to make stuff everyday. I can't get enough of it. Right now, the thing that I am just can't get enough of is jam making. I have made peach, apple pie, pear honey and now blackberry jam. I am going pear picking tonight, so next will be pear honey and hopefully sugar free pear butter. I love the feel of accomplishment when I have cooked the fruit, poured into the jars, topped with a lid and left to cool, and when they have completely cooled, flip the jars over and the lids are sealed. It is almost as if my great grandmother is right there beside me giving me tips on how to do this stuff, although I have never met her.

So, here is a WELCOME FALL treat, blackberry jam! Do you have a favorite that you make? Let me know! Also, Molly at Batter Spattered is hosting her 2nd Jam/Jelly Exchange and last years was alot of fun, so if you want to swap a jar of homemade jam check her out and sign up! Also, if you have any tips on canning, well anything, send them my way. I would appreciate it!!

Blackberry Jam

2 lbs of blackberries

4 cups sugar

pinch of salt

2 Tbsp vinegar

Put all ingredients in large pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until your thermometer reads 220 degrees. Pour into your jars and top with lids. Flip jars on top of lids and let cool. When completely cool, flip them over and the jars should be sealed.

Cookie Carnival-Blackberry Almond Bars

For this month's Cookie Carnival, Kate chose Blackberry Almond Bars. I was super excited about this recipe, well, because anything with blackberries, I will eat it. Now, last night, I had a co-baker with me in my kitchen, Charlotte at Taylor Loves Chocolate. Charlotte is a newbie to the blog world, and is a newbie in the baking kitchen as well, so go and check her out. Taylor is my niece and Charlotte has been in the family for about 3 years, and hopefully someday will make it official as my SIL (hint, hint to my brother!)ok, so now back to these bars!

First, you puree the blackberries and strain them to get the seeds out, then you make them into a curd. Make an almond based shortbread crust, bake it, then top with the curd and bake some more, top with powdered sugar when cooled. These will definitely be made again and again! Love them! What are you waiting for, go and try them for yourself!

BLACKBERRY ALMOND BARS
(williams-sonoma)

INGREDIENTS:
For the shortbread:
* 12 Tbs. (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt

For the blackberry curd:
* 2 pints blackberries
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* Pinch of salt
* 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room
temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-by-2-inch cake pan.
To make the shortbread, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, flour, almonds, granulated sugar and salt and process until small lumps form. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom. Bake until the shortbread is golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Meanwhile, make the blackberry curd: In a food processor or blender, puree the blackberries until smooth. Pass the puree through a chinois set over a bowl, using a pestle to press on the solids and extract as much juice as possible; discard the solids. You should have about 3/4 cup juice.

In the top pan of a double boiler or in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until blended. Then whisk in the blackberry juice, salt and lemon juice. Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan, or set the saucepan over medium-low heat. (If using a saucepan, take care not to heat the mixture too quickly.) Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the mixture is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the butter a little at a time, stirring each addition until blended before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a finger drawn across the back of the spatula leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pass the curd through the chinois set over a bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk to blend, then pour the curd over the shortbread, spreading it evenly to the edges.
Bake until the curd is set, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into individual bars, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Makes 20 bars.

Blackberry-Lime Cupcakes

Blackberry-lime cupcakes?! Such a strange combination, but refreshing! Here it is--a vanilla bean and lime cupcake, filled with a blackberry-lime curd, topped with cream cheese icing. Yum! The lime is not as strong as I imagined that it would be, but just a hint, and that is plenty. I would have never thought of a cupcake with lime as an ingredient, I would rather have chocolate, but when I saw "Who will be the next cupcake hero"
(http://slush.wordpress.com/2007/09/03/cupcake-lovers-of-the-world-unite/)I knew that I had to at least try. So, here it is...



Vanilla Bean & Lime Cupcakes:

1/2 Cup unsalted butter, softened
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 Cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
3/4 Cup self-rising flour
1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4-5 Tbsp milk
1/2 vanilla bean


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Cream butter and zest in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until butter is smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until fluffy.

-Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping the bowl and beating until smooth after each addition.

-Squeeze the lime directly into a liquid measuring cup. Add enough milk to total 1/2 cup of liquid, whisk to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk flours together to combine.

-Add the flour mixture to the batter in four parts, alternating with thirds of the milk mixture and beating after each addition until incorporated.

Add in the vanilla beans.

-Divide batter among the 12 cups of a lined standard cupcake pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cupcakes are just starting to turn brown and toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.



Blackberry-Lime Curd



2 Cups blackberries
1 Stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
3 Large eggs
4 Large egg yolks


-Fill medium saucepan three-quarters full of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

-Puree the berries in a food processor or blender, then pass the puree through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl. Measure 1 cup of puree and reserve any remaining puree for another use.

-Melt the butter and blackberry puree together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Stir in the sugar and lime juice and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

-Combine the eggs and egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Slowly drizzle the hot blackberry mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.

-When all the mixture has been added to the eggs, place the bowl over the saucepan of simmering water. Cook, whisking continuously, for about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl from time to time. Insert a thermometer and check the temperature. The curd is done when it has the consistency of sour cream and a temperature of 160 degrees F.

-Strain the curd through a fine-mesh strainer into another medium bowl and let cool completely.



Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temp
2 lb. bag powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
about 4 Tbsp milk


Cream together the cream cheese, vanilla and about 1/2 of the powdered sugar. Continue to add powdered sugar and milk to get your desired consistency for the frosting.






Now, to assemble:
Cut a cone out of the top of the cupcake and fill with the curd. Replace the top on back on the top of the blackberry-lime curd and frost with the cream cheese frosting.