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.
Servings: 16 bars
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.
Notes
If you want to use this shortbread crust for another recipe requiring a fully baked crust, bake at 350°F for 30-33 minutes.