Go Back
+ servings
Stack of blackberry crumb pie bars.

Blackberry Crumb Pie Bars

Heather Smoke
These blackberry crumb pie bars have layers of brown butter crumble, filled with sweet fresh blackberries.

All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings9 servings

Equipment

  • 8 inch baking pan

Ingredients
 

Crust and Topping

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, divided
  • 6 tbsp dark brown sugar, lightly packed
  • ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • tsp ground cardamom

Filling

  • 1 lb blackberries
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1-2 tbsp all-purpose flour (see note)

Instructions
 

Crust and Topping

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F, and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, or spray with nonstick spray. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
  • Place the butter in a saucepan, and melt over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, swirling the pan occasionally, until very fragrant and nutty brown solids form on the bottom of the pan. This should take about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour with the brown sugar, salt, baking powder and cardamom. Pour the hot, browned butter over the flour mixture and stir into a soft dough.
  • Press 2/3 of the dough into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
  • For the topping, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour to the remaining 1/3 of the dough, and use your fingers or a fork to make a crumbly topping. Set aside.

Filling

  • In a bowl, toss the blackberries with the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and flour. If your blackberries are more firm, you'll only need 1 tablespoon of flour to thicken the juices. For softer, juicier blackberries (or if using frozen and thawed berries), use 2 tablespoons flour.
  • After the crust bakes for 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Spread the blackberry filling over the hot crust, then sprinkle the filling with the crumble topping. Return the pan to the oven, and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling is set.
  • Let the bars cool at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. Or, enjoy them warm, although they'll be a bit messier.

Notes

Leftover bars should be cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Keyword Blackberry, Brown Butter, Crumb Bars, Pie Bars
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/