Blackberry (Mulberry) Crumble Bars
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This weekend is totally getting away from me... three parties to cook for, which is a dang awesome problem to be "complaining" about. Of course it's all fun - last night was a giant Mexican feast that had me cooking just about everything Mexican under the sun; this morning was a pancake breakfast out at the BBQ; tonight is a pool party and BBQ at my daughter's (I'm just bringing side dishes); and tomorrow is a cooking party with my two oldest grandkids (13 and 17) and tomorrow night we'll serve our creations (lasagna, focaccia, caesar salad and cheesecake) to their parents.
Like I said it's all amazingly fun, but nevertheless, I just emptied my dishwasher for the 3rd time today and it's only 2 p.m. So you get the idea... I'm getting to do all of the things I love the most with my favorite people on the planet, but the pace is off the charts busy, which is my ever so sideways way of saying, that this week's post will be a bit short.
I just have two words for you... crumble bars. Made em last week for afternoon guests and fell madly in love and can't get them out of my head and am in desperate need of a minute to make them all over again.
They're beyond delicious, bordering on edgy addictive, and now that I think about it, I probably actually shouldn't make them again. At least not for a little while. Although they're so easy (and I do mean easy) to make that I might just throw them together when I'm not even looking and find myself once again in love and reaching for another when it is most inadvisable to be doing so.
Use any kind of jam you wish in these. I used our wondrous mulberry jam, but blackberry jam would be ever so perfect. Or raspberry. Whatever. Just get them made. Here's the recipe...
Blackberry (Mulberry) Crumble Bars
Click here for a printable recipe
Makes 32 to 36 cookie bars
These crumble bars are very delicate and ever so incredibly delicious. The crust is a bit crumbly, but that's what makes them so good. Be sure to line your baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a little on the edges to pull it easily out of the pan. But don't try taking these out of the pan until they cool completely, otherwise they may not hold together when cutting them. And that would just be too sad.
For the crust:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and diced
1 large egg
For the filling:
1 ½ to 2 cups of blackberry (or mulberry or raspberry) jam
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan and line it with parchment paper.
(I do the next step in a food processor. It makes cutting in the butter so easy. After I cut in the butter with a few pulses, I place the mixture in a bowl and add the egg and then proceed with the recipe.)
In a medium bowl, blend 1 cup of sugar, the baking powder, salt and flour. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend in the small pieces of butter and then add in the egg, blending everything well. The dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough into the prepared pan.
Spread the jam over the bottom crust and crumble the remaining half of the dough over the filling.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until the top is slightly brown.
Cool completely, then cut into bars and serve.
