Blackberry Pie Bars

It's midnight and I wanna bake. Wee hours of the morning baking = deliciousness in the morning! My crazy schedule means I just arrived home from class. Had to stop at the market on the way to pick up some more sugar, because I ran out earlier. I don't think I've ever run out of sugar before! Maybe it's a side effect of that healthy kick I've been on. Anyway, I picked up the sugar because I had the crust prepared for the recipe that follows, but didn't have any sugar to complete the filling, and I've had my eye on this recipe for a while. I came across it at Joy the Baker's wonderful and witty site. Can't wait to make it with fresh blackberries in the summer when my mom's blackberry bushes go wild, but frozen blackberries will do just fine for now. (Bonus: frozen means there's lots of yummy juice to sip post-draining of the berries.) Onward, to Blackberry Pie Bars! Here's what you'll need:

Crust
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups Unsalted Butter, chilled and cubed
Zest of 2 Lemons

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter or cooking spray.



2. Combine sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of your mixer (or a large bowl if you don't have a mixer). Work zest into the sugar with your fingers to release all the flavors.



3. Add flour, salt and butter cubes to lemon sugar and mix on medium speed until dough is crumbly.



4. Reserve 1 1/2 Cups of dough for the top of your bars. Press remaining crust into bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes until crust is slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.




Filling
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Sour Cream
3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Salt
32oz Frozen Blackberries (or 6 Cups Fresh Blackberries)

1. Defrost and drain the blackberries. This takes time! So do this first! Even a few hours ahead! Maybe even do it overnight if you feel so inclined. Just toss 'em in a colander, place it over a bowl, and let gravity do its work. Don't have a colander? Put frozen blackberries in a bowl, allow to defrost for a few hours, the slowly pour the liquid out of the bowl. Oh, and drink the excess juices, straight up, no sugar necessary. You can add it to a glass of sparkling water too.

2. Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add in sugar, sour cream, flour and salt, and mix until well combined. Gently fold in blackberries.

3. Pour blackberry mixture over top of baked crust. Sprinkle remaining crust on top of blackberries.

4. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes until top crust is golden brown. Allow to cool for one hour before slicing.


WOW. Now that I've eaten these??? All I can say is...well I have a lot to say! The hint of lemon is so wonderfully subtle since the zest was worked into the sugar. The crumbly top is delicious and buttery. The filling is just enough tart vs. sweet. This really is a little bite of pie heaven!