Blackberry Lemon Bars

These Blackberry Lemon Bars are the perfect spring and summer dessert.

These blackberry lemon bars have a lemony cookie base topped with a tangy lemon custard, and then swirled with a sweet blackberry reduction.

The blackberry sauce that is swirled through these lemon bars is easy to make with either fresh or or frozen berries, and it is the perfect contrast to the tart lemon flavored custard.

Shortbread crust, lemon custard, and blackberry filling. What's not to love?

How to make these blackberry lemon bars:

These blackberry lemon bars begin with a shortbread cookie crust that is infused with lemon zest. Combine butter, sugar, lemon zest, and flour and press it into a 9 by 13 inch cake pan and chill it for about 15 minutes. Next, bake the crust first and let it cool. 

After that, you make the blackberry filling by cooking blackberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice until the sauce has thickened. 

To make the lemon custard, whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and flour, which you pour over the cooled crust. 

Finally, dollop the blackberry sauce over the filling and swirl it with a toothpick and bake for about 15 minutes. 

The combination of the lemon and blackberry flavors is amazing. You will end up with about 24 bars, which will quickly disappear. 

Keep any leftovers, if you have them, in the refrigerator in a covered container. 

When Eliza Cross, the author of the cookbook, Berries: Sweet & Savory Recipes, contacted me about reviewing this book, I jumped all over it. First, I luuurve cookbooks, and second, I love the everything berries concept of this book!

Eliza, who also blogs at The Yolo Blog, has put together a gorgeous collection of recipes using berries, including blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries.

 I love that this book includes recipes for both sweet and savory dishes, including a recipe for Cranberry Glazed Meatballs, and a recipe for Grilled Flank Steak with Blackberry Sauce.

I also seriously need to make those doughnuts in the upper right photo on the back cover.

The book is divided into the following sections:

• Beverages and Sweets
• Jams, Preserves, and Sauces
• Muffins, Breads, and Pastries
• Salads and Starters
• Main Courses
• Cakes and Cookies
• Pies and Tarts
• Desserts

P.S. If you like your cookbooks to have gorgeous photos, you won't be disappointed. 

This week, the Sunday Funday group is posting fruity dessert recipes. There are plenty of delicious recipes from which to choose. 

• Banana Enchiladas From A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Boozy Nectarine Crumble From Food Lust People Love
• Cherry Pie Bars From Making Miracles
• Fruit & Chocolate Trifle From Sneha's Recipe
• Lattice-Topped Apple Pie From Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd Topping From Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Mango & Vanilla Panna Cotta From Mayuri's Jikoni
• Strawberry Fool with Meringue Topper/Base From Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Updated post from August, 2017. 

Blackberry Lemon Bars

Yield: 24 servings

Author: Karen's Kitchen Stories

These Blackberry Lemon Bars are the perfect summer dessert.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, divided
• 3 cups (13 ounces) all purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
• 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed and drained) blackberries
• 7 large eggs
• Powdered sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly oil a 9 inch by 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest. Beat with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the flour and the salt. Add this mixture to the butter mixture and stir by hand until just combined.
4. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the refrigerator and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool on a wire rack.
5. To make the blackberry sauce, combine 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, the cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of the lemon juice in a small saucepan. Whisk to blend. Add the blackberries and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly while mashing the berries with the back of a wooden spoon.
6. Let the mixture simmer until it slightly thickens, 6 to 7 minutes. Strain the mixture through a wire mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Discard any solids and reserve the sauce.
7. To make the filling, whisk together the eggs, the remaining 3 cups of granulated sugar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, and remaining 1 cup (4.33 ounces) of flour. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of lemon juice and whisk until combined.
8. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust. Dollop the berry sauce over the filling. Drag a toothpick or chopstick through the sauce to create swirls.
9. Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake until the filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle the top with the powdered sugar and cut into bars. Keep leftovers in the refrigerator.

Calories

396.37

Fat (grams)

9.25

Sat. Fat (grams)

5.26

Carbs (grams)

76.85

Fiber (grams)

0.84

Net carbs

76.01

Sugar (grams)

63.70

Protein (grams)

3.67

Sodium (milligrams)

47.91

Cholesterol (grams)

74.59

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2017/08/blackberry-lemon-bars.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

blackberries, lemon

Dessert

American

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