August 16, 2022

blackberry almond bars

blackberry season

This summer was an unbelievably good year for foraging wild blackberries. And as the harvest was winding down in New York, I went to Maine for two weeks, which luckily coincided with their peak blackberry season. Berry brambles lined gravel roads and ATV trails and I planned most of my walking routes around berry picking. I ate most of the berries right away, but every now and then I would come across a huge amount of perfectly ripe berries and come home with a sizable harvest. Which meant I turned on the oven for the first time all summer to make blackberry almond bars.

a decadent summer dessert

Melissa Clark’s blackberry frangipane tart from Dinner in French is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Berries and almonds make a delicious pairing, with the nuttiness of the almonds complementing the sweet-tart berries. I decided to take the blackberry and almond filling from this tart and make it in bar form- freeing the recipe from requiring a tart pan and without the extra effort of rolling out tart dough. Instead I mixed up a simple 1-bowl shortbread crust and pressed it into a square 8″ x 8″ pan. Luscious almond frangipane filling and blackberries top the parbaked crust for a decadent summer dessert.

Frangipane is an almond cream made of almonds, butter, sugar, eggs, and all-purpose flour. It’s popular in French desserts, with its rich nutty and sweet flavor and custardy consistency once baked. Frangipane is super easy to make, with all the ingredients blended together in a food processor. Frangipane is often used as a filling in tarts and pastries, and it pairs deliciously with fresh in-season fruit. The frangipane in these blackberry almond bars also includes brandy and almond extract which take the flavors to the next level, though you could omit the brandy and substitute 1 tsp vanilla extract for the almond extract.

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5 from 1 vote

blackberry almond bars

These blackberry almond bars feature a simple shortbread crust topped with luscious frangipane filling and loaded with blackberries. Substitute any fresh in-season berries for the blackberries; a mix of berries would be especially good. Frozen berries can also be used in place of fresh, no need to defrost the frozen berries in advance.

Course: Dessert

Servings: 16 bars

Author: adapted from Melissa Clark’s Dinner in French

Ingredients

shortbread crust

8 tbsp butter (1 stick) room temperature
⅓ c sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 c + 2 tbsp (134 g) all purpose flour

filling

1 c almonds (140 g) whole or sliced
¾ c sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
12 tbsp butter room temperature
3 large eggs
1 tbsp brandy optional
¼ tsp almond extract
1½ c blackberries (6 oz)
2 tbsp sliced almonds optional, for garnish

Instructions

make and parbake the shortbread crust

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 8"x8" baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients- it will be very crumbly.
Transfer crust mixture to prepared pan, and pat down evenly. Prick the surface of the crust all over with the tines of a fork.
Bake for 20-23 minutes, until puffy and lightly brown at the edges. Remove from oven and allow to cool as you prepare the filling.

make the filling

Raise oven temperature to 375°F.
In food processor, combine almonds, sugar, flour, and salt. Process until finely ground.
Pulse in the butter, scraping the sides of the food processor down as needed. Add eggs, brandy, and almond extract and process until smooth.
Pour filling on top of the parbaked crust. Scatter blackberries over the filling.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and scatter sliced almonds on top of the frangipane. Return pan to oven and continue baking until the filling is golden and puffy and almonds are toasted, 20-30 additional minutes (total bake time 40-50 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.